Faerie Tail - A New Beginning
by TexasSon
Summary: This is the story of a young wizard. A wizard who is searching for his destiny. Join Luke Heartfilia as he seeks to become a true wizard and join the greatest guild in the world Faerie Tail. Fairy Tail AU in which some of the characters are gender-swapped. Warning: Rated M for language and future smut/lemon. Will stick to the original flavor as much as possible.
1. Chapter 1

Faerie Tail

Chapter 1- The Faerie Tale

Luke Heartfilia walked along a sunny street in the port town of Hargeon. The brisk sea air brought with it the light scent of salt untainted at present by the commercial aspects of fishing and transport, two important aspects of Hargeon's economy. The light breeze brought a smile to the young man's face, his blonde hair ruffling slightly. Luke was considered by many (including himself) to be a very attractive person. His slightly above average frame was lightly toned and muscled, giving him the appearance of perhaps a surfer or some other athlete. His hair was currently in a modest cut, a bang of hair slightly drooping over his left eye.

He wore a white polo shirt with a blue stipe across the chest as well as down the center. Blue slacks paired with stylish yet sensible black shoes covered his legs and feet, while a pouch and a coiled black whip hung from a brown belt on his left and right sides respectively.

Spying his destination Luke quickly made his way into a store the sign above the door proclaiming magical goods for sale. Making his way to the counter Luke gave the proprietor one of his signature smiles.

"Good morning ma'am" he said "I was informed that this was the best place in town if I wanted to find items of the magical variety." The owner smiled slightly at the young man's energetic attitude. "You only heard partly correctly, this is the only place in Hargeon that sells magic items." "My mistake "he replied with a smaller smile, "But perhaps you can help me all the same, I'm looking for Gate Keys". The owners smile dropped slightly as she raised a hand to her chin to think. "A rare request, I don't believe I have any in stock but let me check in the back just to make sure, feel free to look around while you wait." "I'll do just that" he replied turning to take in the store at large as the owner vanished behind a curtain. "Wonder if there is anything in here I could use", he mused to himself beginning to look at the shelves.

Earlier at the Hargeon train station a blue cat with a small green sack tied around his neck and a shock of white fur at the end of his tail was pushing at a young woman with bright pink hair lying on the floor of a train car. "Natshi!" the cat yelled at his friend "We've reached Hargeon! Get up Get up Get up!"

The woman he is addressing looked to be suffering from some type of motion sickness curled up on the floor moaning softly. "Umm, excuse me Miss?" a conductor questioned as he walked up to them. "Is she alright?" "Aye! She's fine this always happens when she travels" the cat replied continuing to push on the woman's shoulder.

Another soft moan rose from the woman. "Never, never, never, I'm never riding another train again in my life" This statement was followed by the woman attempting to hold onto the contents of her stomach as her cheeks turned a deep shade of green. Her companion walked to the door of the car and lightly jumped to the ground below. "If our information is correct, then Salamander should be somewhere in this town." Turning back to the train to see his companion leaning out of the window. "So let's get going already." "Just give me a minute or two okay" came the shaky reply.

At that moment the piercing shriek of a train whistle rent the air as the train rapidly picked up speed moving away from the station. "Help ME!" the pinkette shouted as she was whisked away from her friend, trapped on the infernal method of transportation. Her small companion watched as his friend disappeared behind a turn. "Uh-oh, there she goes."

"And you are completely sure this is the only one you have?" Luke's question was met with the nodding head of the shop owner. "I checked everywhere; this Key is the only one left". Looking down at the small silver key resting in the box, Luke noticed the small emblem on the handle depicting a rounded blue head with a protruding nose. "The White Doggy Key is not extremely common and the spirit it summons is not extremely powerful, but it is still a good deal." "How much?" inquired the blonde. "20,000 Jewel" Luke looked into the owners face with a small bit of shock.

"Pardon?" "20,000 Jewel" the owner repeated. "Time for some of my Famous Charm" the blonde thought to himself as he placed his hands behind his neck thereby drawing attention to his well-defined arms and chest, his six-pack abs pressing against the fabric of his shirt. "Aww come on how much is it really? Surely we can work out a deal?" This was delivered with his smile on full "Attraction" mode followed by a sly wink.

"I can't believe she only knocked off 1,000 Jewel." He muttered to himself as he briskly strode away from the store a few minutes later. "So much for my Famous Charm, I must be slipping." His thoughts continued in this manner as he crossed a bridge, loud cheering and other noises drawing his attention to a large group on the street below him.

"Are you serious, she's really here? The loud voice came from a young man who was running behind him. "Yes!" the man's companion replied, "The stunningly beautiful Miss Salamander is really here in Hargeon!" "Salamander?" he thought to himself the stories and rumors surrounding the name coming to his mind in a rush. "As in the ravishing fire wielding beauty, whose magic is said to rival only her body in beauty? She's in this backwater?"

Looking down he could see multitudes of young men, many clutching autograph books running towards a square not far from where he stood. "As long as I'm here I might as well at least get a glimpse of her" turning to run after the young men who had passed him earlier.

Elsewhere in Hargeon a pink haired young woman walked through the streets, only slightly stumbling. "Man, I ended up riding the train twice" she complained to her small blue friend. The woman's pink hair was the most obvious thing about her, falling down to the middle of her back in messy tresses, a pronounced lock bounced as she walked almost entirely covering her right eye.

The white scarf she wore around her neck seemed almost as if it were made from scales. She wore a red coat that reached slightly past her waist with symbols on the left sleeve near her shoulder. The rest of her outfit consisted of a dark blue bra with red accents covered her full chest. A dark blue vest edged with gold along with a matching long skirt that left the front of her body open from hip to hip. White slightly baggy pants with black ties around her shins and black sandals completed the ensemble.

"You're no good when it comes to vehicles, you need to figure out a way to either control or get rid of this motion sickness." Her companion replied, looking up at her with concern in his large eyes. "I'm so hungry I could eat my arm" "We don't have enough money for food" her companion stated with a sigh. "Hey Happy, this Salamander has gotta be Igneel right?" "Aye, it's got to be" the cat whose name was Happy replied. "Igneel is the only Fire Dragon I've ever heard of."

Their attention was distracted by a large amount of yelling and screaming coming from in front of them. "Miss Salamander, will you marry me?" "Burn Me, Miss Salamander!" "Miss Salamander you are so beautiful!" "Salamander?" The woman whose name is Natshi and Happy said at the same time. Beginning to run towards the large crowd that was forming in the square ahead of them a large smile began to form on Natshi's face. "Well speak of the devil, we're in luck today Happy!" "Aye, Sir!" came the energetic reply.

The object of the crowd's fascination was a tall woman with rich long dark hair. A purple cape was around her shoulders paired with a white blouse edged with burgundy. A striped maroon skirt and black 6 inch heels completed her outfit. Luke stood amongst the midst of screaming men eyes wide as he beheld the svelte beauty in front of him.

"What's gotten into me?" He thought to himself, his rapid heartbeat and flushed skin giving him a distressed appearance. "Why is my heart beating so fast?" "You gentleman are too kind", the stunning woman in front him said to the ever growing crowd. Her head turned and her gaze caught his like a mouse in a trap, the tattoo above her right eye adding a touch or roguishness to her already glorious visage.

"She looked at me", the thought raced through Luke's mind and seemingly defying logic his heart beat even faster. "Is this love at first sight?" he thought to himself edging closer to the model of perfection in front of him.

"Igneel!" the shout broke through the cacophony of screams, "Igneel!" the cry was repeated as a young pink haired woman broke through the crush of men to stand in the circle of clear space around the object of the crowd's desire. The silence that descended was almost uncanny but not as profound as the feeling Luke got when he looked at the young woman.

It was almost as if something that had been gripping his thoughts broke and floated away, replaced by a feeling of clear-headedness the like of which he had never before experienced. He took in every detail of her appearance from her head to her feet even her slightly bent over stance which in no way diminished her beauty and in fact highlighted her slightly heaving breasts. Her light rich voice reached his ears bringing him back into the real world at her statement directed towards the woman in front of her "Who the heck are you?"

The woman's response to this question was quite comical, her face draining of color as she let jerked away and let out a silent scream. "You're not Igneel." Quickly regaining her composure, the woman smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle in her skirt. "Well of course I'm not Igneel" replied the woman flashing a large smile. "I am called Salamander" Her smile became a gasp of astonishment as the pinkette and her companion simply turned and walked away. They did not get far before being surrounded and tackled by some of the admirers. "How dare you disrespect Miss Salamander!" one shouted. "Get back here and apologize this instant!" said another his arms wrapped around the girls legs a shocked and dazed expression on her face. "Now, now boys there is no need for violence. I am sure the young miss meant no disrespect or insult. Let her go." Immediately the crowd reformed around Miss Salamander signing her praises once more. "I am afraid that is all the time I have for now, come to the party I am hosting tonight on my yacht. All of you are invited! _**Red Carpet!**_ " With a snap of her fingers she activated her magic a bright rosy flame spiraled around her lifting her into the air and whisking her away.

The crowd dispersed quickly after this, leaving the young pinkette lying on the ground. "I wonder what that was all about?" the small blue cat standing beside her asked. "No idea" she replied, sitting up. "It was ring based love magic" the voice came from above her, looking up she saw a hand extended to help her up the voice belonging to a young man with blonde hair stunningly clear blue eyes and a wide smile. "Love magic?" the pinkette asked grasping his hand as she easily pulled herself up. Her silver eyes met his blue and in that moment it seemed as if the entirety of the world faded away. She took in every detail of his face, how his eyes sparkled as they caught the light, his large dimples caused by his wide and stunning smile filled with two rows of perfectly formed white teeth. A feeling began to form deep within her as if something that had lain dormant was beginning to stir, a feeling that she could not quite put a name to but felt good nonetheless. As his voice reached her ears, her surroundings came back in a rush. She blinked feeling as if an eternity had passed when in fact it had been only scant seconds. "It was banned by the council some time ago" he spoke softly his next words were cut off by the loud growling of her empty stomach. A light laugh escaped his lips "Sounds like someone's hungry, let's grab some lunch, should be a place nearby."

A few minutes later they were seated at a diner being brought continuous plates of food by the astonished and perplexed waitress. As he watched the young woman and cat he had just met begin to eat with a seemingly ravenous sense of abandon a sense of peace came over Luke though he could not explain how or why he felt it. "My name is Luke" he introduced himself dodging a stray piece of food that flew past his ear. "Natshi" the pinkette replied around a mouthful of food "and this is my friend Happy." "Aye!" the cat said trying to shove three whole fish into his mouth. Luke smiled at the pair oblivious to the looks they were receiving from patrons and workers as food flew madly from the table and dirty dishes began to pile up at a prodigious rate. "That magic from earlier was called Charm" he began to explain it can make whoever is in rage of the caster madly in love with them, to the point where they will do anything to please them and gain their attention. I had fallen under its effect as well but thanks to you coming when you did I was able to break free." He drained the glass of white zinfandel from his elbow before continuing. "If she was in a guild they wouldn't tolerate it, the word of the Magic Council is law." He gave a small sigh as he looked out the window at the bright clear sky overhead. "I'm a wizard you see though not an official one technically as I am not a member of a guild. I want to join one more than anything though, so that I can train and become stronger as well as make new friends and meet new people. The one I want to join is the most popular guild in Fiore, they are always making headlines." Happy looked up at him after finishing another fish, the bones of the previous one lying on a plate in front of him. "Do you have to join a guild to become a stronger wizard?" he asked. "If you want to be an official one yes, the guilds are the entire basis of magical society. If someone has a problem that involves magic or wants a problem or question solved by a magician they contact the guilds with a job request. The guilds distribute these requests to their members and receive a percentage of the reward. Without the guilds wizards would be constantly fighting over what little jobs they could find or worse fighting each other just because they had nothing better to do. Also if the guilds didn't exist then there would be no centralized place for people who needed help to be able to find it. The magic council oversees the guilds and acts as a governing body for magic use. It's not a perfect system of course but it works and keeps everyone mostly happy. I know this whole wizards and guilds and magic stuff must seem like gibberish to you, I apologize for ranting." Happy nodded at this before picking up a fish and beginning to nibble on it. "I do have to admit I'm curious though. From your bags it looks like you aren't from around here, why did you come to Hargeon anyways?" "We were looking for Igneel, the Fire Dragon" at this Luke's eyebrows shot up and he recoiled away from the small cat as he continued speaking. "Natshi got a tip that he was here in Hargeon." "You can't expect a dragon to hide in a city!" He yelled at them bringing shocked expressions to both their faces. "Why not?" Natshi asked quickly. "Because a dragon is humongous and would crush everything here without even trying! Besides the person who you walked in on earlier was a human." "Ohhhhh" they said simultaneously, as if this was the first time someone had mentioned this to them. Luke shook his head with a small smile as he slid out of their booth. "I've gotta get going, but I hope you enjoy the rest of your lunch. Don't worry about the cost it's my treat. I wish you the best of luck in finding your friend. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." As he walked to the counter to pay for the food a shocked gasp from the waitress drew his attention behind him. Natshi and Happy were both kneeling on the ground with their palms and foreheads on the floor. "Thank you for the food!" they shouted simultaneously drawing the attention of everyone else in the restaurant. "I…It…It's okay" Luke managed to gasp out knees wobbling in embarrassment "you helped me earlier and I was able to help you so let's just call it even." Natshi and Happy looked at each other in confusion but had no chance to say anything else before Luke paid for the meal and strode out of the diner.

He wandered around the city for a bit longer, not really caring to return to his hotel room this early in the day so he bought a Sorcerer Weekly magazine from a street vendor and found a quiet bench to catch up on what was happening in the magical world. "Faerie Tail does it again" he thought to himself reading the article that detailed the capture of a bandit clan at the cost of seven homes being destroyed and thousands of Jewels in other property damage. "Talk about going overboard" flipping to the centerfold of the magazine revealed a photo spread of Mirajane Strauss one of the most popular models in the world and a proud member of Faerie Tail her white guildmark displayed prominently on her left thigh. "I wonder how you join Faerie Tail" he said to himself softly "Is there an interview process, do they contact you? However it happens I know for certain that I'm going to join Faerie Tail." "What's this about joining Faerie Tail?" Luke leaped off the bench in surprise "Salamander!" he quickly adopted a defensive posture as the sultry looking woman finished moving out of the bushes from where she had been observing him ever since he sat down. She seemed not to notice as she brushed stray leaves off of her cape. "I've been looking all over for you, I wanted to extend a personal invitation to the party I'm hosting tonight." As she spoke Luke's eyes focused on her right hand observing the two rings with close scrutiny. "Your Charm spell won't work on me, it's useless against someone who knows they are being targeted by it." If possible her smile seemed to widen as she sashayed closer to him the movement drawing his eyes away from her hand to her swaying hips, "Ah of course, I guessed that you were a mage the moment I laid eyes on you, regardless of your immunity the invitation still stands." "Forget it, I wouldn't be caught dead at your party, you're nothing but a creep." Her hand flew to her mouth at his words and her expression became one of shame and sadness. "Why do you wound me so? I'll admit to using magic to gain attention but only because I wanted to be the star at my party, is that too much for a girl to ask?" His stance relaxed at her words but he remained vigilant for a trick. "You wish to join Faerie Tail correct? At his terse nod her smile returned, "then allow me to properly introduce myself for you see I am Faerie Tail's one and only Salamander. His expression changed to that of awe as one of the members of his obsession smiled her brightest at him. "You're really her?" "Indeed, if you wish I shall put in a good word with the Master, he may look favorably on your application. But you can't say anything about the Charm spell." Eyes wide at the possibility of joining the guild of his dreams Luke nodded enthusiastically "It seems as though I must depart" he said happily "I have a party to get ready for." "Until tonight" Salamander smiled demurely " _ **Red Carpet!**_ " As she flew away Luke's expression slowly slid into a grimace. "Damn It!" He said as he mentally kicked himself "I was pseudo-charmed." His smile returned "But on the other hand, she is going to get me into Faerie Tail! I just have to be nice to that harlot until then."

Later that evening Natshi and Happy were relaxing on a bridge overlooking the harbor and ocean beyond. Natshi patted her stomach and smiled contentedly at her friend who was sitting on the railing facing the ocean his small feet dangling over the edge. "God that was a great meal wasn't it Happy" "Aye Sir!" the cat replied. Spying a large yacht anchoring in deeper water offshore he tugged on Natshi's sleeve. "Do you think that's the boat where that Salamander lady is having her party?" Turning to lean on the railing next to her friend she followed his finger until she spotted the yacht in question, immediately her motion sickness returned , the very thought of setting foot on the yacht causing her to turn green. "Calm down, it's not like we were gonna go." The giggling of some young sounded to their left but what drew their attention was the question that one voiced to the group. "Isn't that Miss Salamander's yacht?" "Yes it is" her friend replied "My brother is going, I'm so happy for him" "Wait, who is Salamander?" Another inquired "Only an extremely popular, extremely famous wizard who is in town right now!" the one who had voiced the original question responded. "Yeah, she is a member of Faerie Tail, all the boys are going hoping to ask her out." At the words Faerie Tail, Natshi's motion sickness vanished as her eyes flashed back to the anchored yacht an angry growl coming from her lips. "So she's in Faerie Tail huh? We'll see about that."

On board the yacht the party was in full swing, tables of refreshments filled the deck as a large number of young men, many clutching wrapped gifts milled about chatting with each other. "So your name is Luke, hmmm, a strong name a good name." In a private cabin below the main deck Luke, dressed in a black jacket, black pants, wine red shirt with the top two buttons undone, and polished black shoes lounged on a couch across the table from the woman who called herself Salamander. Salamander herself had not changed for the party and remained in the outfit she had been wearing earlier in the day. The only change to her appearance was the blood red lipstick she had applied and a pink flame barrette in her hair. Leaning on the table itself she set the bottle of wine back onto the table next to the two full glasses she had just poured. "A toast to your handsomeness" she said snapping her fingers, as she did so bubbles of wine began to lift from the glasses to float in the air between them. "Open your mouth; savor each drop of flavor as it rests in your mouth." "Well this isn't creepy at all" Luke thought to himself, resigning however that he was willing to do whatever it took to join Faerie Tail he opened his mouth as the bubbles floated towards him, a thought struck him before the first one could reach his tongue. Quickly standing he passed his hand through the bubbles, his inner magic dispersing the spell they contained. "What do you think you're doing" he growled out. "That wine is laced with sleep magic." Salamander's smile gained a mocking edge, lifting her hand he was able to take a closer look at the ring on her right middle finger. "That's it" he thought to himself, recognizing the ring as one that contained sleeping magic so powerful a person would sleep for months unless the spell was reversed. This was the thought that had struck him, his knowledge of ring magic coming to the forefront of his mind in the nick of time. "I want to join Faerie Tail don't get me wrong, but I'm not going to have sex with you to make it happen." At this Salamander's smile vanished altogether leaving a dark glare in its place. "Don't kid yourself Prince Charming, you may be a looker but you're not that Hot." At her words the curtains around the cabin vanished revealing a large group of thugs with the unconscious guests in their arms. "What's going on here?" he yelled at Salamander. She ignored his question her eyes roving over the unconscious men as if they were nothing more than slabs of meat. Finally she turned her gaze to his, "Welcome to my ship" her flirty tone gone along with her smile "You would be wise not to make trouble during our voyage to Bosco boy. "Bosco?" Luke repeated, his anger rising "You said you were going to get me into Faerie Tail!." "Oh, that," she said with a wave of her hand, "that was nothing more than a cheap lie to get you onto the ship and one of slaves. Now you are nothing more than merchandise." "You little…" Luke began, reaching under his jacket to remove a ring of Keys from the pouch hidden there. Before he could finish the woman's magic spiraled out at him stinging his hand and causing the keys to fly out of his grasp before she snatched them out of the air. Looking at the three gold and three silver keys on the ring with a critical eye, a dark eyebrow slowly rose in recognition. "These are Gate Keys" she mumbled to herself "You must be a Celestial Spirit mage, only the mage who has a contract with the Spirits of the Keys can use them so these are now worthless." At this she casually tossed the ring out of an open porthole, seconds later there was a splash as the Keys hit the water and sank below the waves. Luke's body shook in barely contained rage his fists clenched tightly, nails almost puncturing the skin of his palms. He spoke through clenched grinding teeth, barely able to make his words understandable "Who are you? There is no possible way a Faerie Tail wizard would ever agree to this. Kidnapping innocent people and selling them for profit?" The thugs surrounding him laughed at this several inching closer arms out to grab him. "That's our boss." one said "She always brings in a good haul." "You are all pathetic" he ground out "especially you!" His eyes, met his captor's once more her face filled with sadistic glee, her minions with similar expressions on their faces lining up behind her. "I hate you! You used magic to take advantage of others, you are despicable, the very worst example of a wizard ever!"

A blinding crash shook the boat as something came through the ceiling of the cabin. Bits of decking flew everywhere and a great cloud of dust sprung up. Luke looked on in shock, not noticing the hands gripping each of his arms to keep him from moving. As the dust settled a figure could be seen kneeling on the splintered deck. A red coat was the first thing visible followed by a white scarf, a long mane of pink hair, before finally revealing a young woman an expression of determined anger on her attractive face. "Natshi!" Luke exclaimed in excited surprise "What are you doing here?" The group's expression as one turned to shock as Natshi's face immediately turned green and looked as if she were about to vomit. "Ughhhh" she moaned "I knew this was a bad idea." A voice from above drew Luke's attention to the hole in the ceiling, where Happy could be seen floating in the sky supported by white wings that extended from his back. "Luke? What are you doing here?" "This bitch tricked me" Luke said pointing over his shoulder at the dumbfounded faces of Salamander and her thugs. "On second thought, what are you two doing here, and how are you FLYING! You're a CAT!" "I'll explain later okay." Happy said as Luke found the blue cat's tail wrapped around his waist pulling him out of the hole and away from the ship at a rapid speed. Salamander, shook off her confusion looking up at the fleeing duo with anger. "After them!" She yelled to her minions, "We can't let word of this get back to the Magic Council!" Above the ship making their way as fast as they could towards shore Luke's mind noticed a shocking detail. "Happy!" He yelled, "what about Natshi! We can't just leave her!" "I can't carry two people!" Happy yelled back. "Besides, Natshi…" The rest of his sentence was cut off as multiple streams of rosy flame rose from the ship towards them. Happy nimbly dodged the attacks weaving in and out between them.

"Damn, that cat is quicker than he looks." Back on the ship Salamander watched as the blue cat avoided explosion after explosion from where her magic was colliding with itself. "Hey Bitch!" Salamander turned to look back towards the ruined cabin, seeing the girl who had crashed through the deck, body heaving slightly but looking better than before, looking at her with an expression of profound anger. "Happy, we have to go back for her, and all those other guys!" Luke yelled at the cat as the last flame stream missed them by several yards. "We have bigger problems!" "Like what!" Luke yelled before Happy abruptly released him. Snapping his head up, his eyes widened in horror at no longer seeing wings sprouting from the cats back. "My transformation is over!" Happy wailed miserably as they both began to fall towards the bay far below. "STUPID CAT!" Luke yelled flailing his arms as he tried to slow himself before going rigid and knifing into the water like a professional high-diver.

Luke used the momentum from the dive as a boost as he swam toward a nearby rock. Happy however was not so lucky slamming headfirst into the sandy floor of the bay. Seeing the light glinting off the metallic ring Luke retrieved his Keys from the rock they had managed to snag on.

Back on board the boat, Natshi was being pummeled by four thugs, unable to mount a proper defense due to her motion sickness. "Forget about them!" Salamander's voice cut through the night like a whip. "Raise the anchor, we're leaving! We have to make it to Bosco fast!" As a thug made to stomp his boot into Natshi's face an arm flew out and stopped it cold. Groaning with effort she managed to raise herself from lying on the deck. "The Faerie Tail Guild", she snarled at Salamander, "You're a member?"

Gasping down air Luke broke the surface of the bay, Happy dazedly coming up to float on his back beside him. A wicked smile graced Luke's face as he stared at the departing ship. "Oh you're mine now." Pulling a golden Key off of the ring before stowing it safely back inside the pouch, Luke closed his eyes mentally reached inside himself until he found the core of his magic. Connecting to it, his body rose to float partway out of the water. The golden key spinning rapidly in front of him he grabbed the handle firmly. "Open, Gate of the Water Bearer!" He yelled, inserting the key into the waves and turning it as if to unlock a door "Aquarius!" Instantly there was a rush of water as a whirlpool formed around the key, with a flash of light the key was once more in his hand and before him floated a stunningly beautiful mermaid, holding a striped blue amphora. "FISH!" Happy cried out reaching towards the mermaid with a large drop of drool hanging from the side of his mouth. "No, she is not a fish." Luke smacked the cat on top of his head, seemingly coming to its senses with the blow. "She is a Celestial Spirit, as a Celestial Spirit wizard I can summon them from the Celestial Spirit World if I need assistance." Finally the mermaid turned to look down at the two of them. "Aquarius, I need you to use your power to push that ship back into port." Aquarius responded only with a disdainful look and a terse "Ugh". Luke felt his own anger rising, familiar with the attitude of the aquatic spirit. "Look when I call you from the Spirit World I need help, so that's what I expect you to do, not constantly give me attitude." "She looks angry" Happy said quietly tugging on Luke's sleeve as he swam behind him. "I wouldn't do anything to piss her off" Aquarius turned her gaze to the departing ship though when she spoke her words were direct at Luke. "Let's get one thing straight, right here and right now. The next time you even so much as think, about dropping my Key I will murder you, painfully." "It…" Luke began but was cut off by a glare from the mermaid woman "DO YOU HEAR ME, PAINFULLY!" "It won't happen again!" Luke and Happy both swore overwhelmed by the spirit's anger. Aquarius raised her amphora, summoning the energy of the water around her before expelling it in a titanic blast. A large tidal wave rose up pushing everything, including the ship, Luke, and Happy back to shore. Luke managed to roll up onto his knees finding himself on the sandy beach, looking up at the spirit floating in front of him he angrily spit out some sand before glaring up at her. "What the hell is your problem?" He shouted "Do you think you could have avoided sweeping me up with that damn wave, you were supposed to just get the ship!" "Oh, I hit the ship? My apologies, I was aiming for your enormous head." "What do you mean you were aiming for me?" "Don't call me for a while; I'm going on a week-long vacation with my boyfriend. Shame you don't have someone to go on romantic vacations with." With that parting remark, Aquarius vanished into multiple ripples of water. "I've got an idea" Happy told Luke excitedly" if the fish lady gives you anymore trouble just call me and I'll take care of it." Luke groaned as he sat back resting on his hands. He had almost all he could take with the blue cat.

Meanwhile a crowd of people had gathered around the crashed ship, turned on its side from the force of the wave the ship's keel was half buried in sand from where it had slid in from the beach. Salamander rubbed her head aching from where she had been thrown against flying people and objects, getting up she looked around to realize they were solidly on the beach and the ship was going nowhere fast. Looking up she saw a silhouette through the smoke stand on the opposite side of the keel. "Natshi!" Luke yelled recognizing the figure. Natshi didn't answer, instead looking down at Salamander with unmistakable anger. "You claim to be a member of the Faerie Tail Guild right?" Natshi yelled down. "Oh, what's it to you" Salamander smiled evilly. "Let me get a closer look at your face" Natshi replied, moving to drop her red coat. "Go, get her men!" Salamander commanded her minions. The group of thugs climbed up and began to race across the keel towards the pinkette who had just let her coat float away in the wind leaving her in her vest and bra. Luke looked on in horror as the men rushed towards her. Happy perched on his shoulder already chewing on a fish he managed to pull struggling from the surf. "Oh, don't worry about her" he said to Luke "I probably should have told you this earlier, but Natshi is a wizard too!" Luke spared the cat a single astonished glance before turning back to look at the scene unfolding above him. The first two thugs had almost reached Natshi, who hadn't moved a muscle after letting her coat go. As the two jumped to punch her a single blow swiped across their field of vision batting them both away from her. "My name is Natshi Dragneel, Faerie Tail Wizard!" Her expression was filled with righteous anger "And I have never seen you before in my life!" Both the leader of the slavers and Luke had the same expression on incredulity on their face. "So that whole time I was going on about guilds and magic, you both already knew what I was talking about?" Luke asked Happy. "Aye" the cat replied, "has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" Luke ignored the cat looking back up at Natshi. With her coat off he could clearly see the fiery red guildmark on her right shoulder, signifying that she was a full member of Faerie Tail. "That mark on her arm" one of the thugs spoke to their leader who was still gaping at the revelation "She's the real deal Barbra." "Idiot!" she shouted at him, "Don't call me by that name". "I know her" Happy said, crossing his arms "That's Barbra, Her Eminence, rumor has it that she was kicked out of the Titan Nose guild a few years back for bad behavior. I guess she finally went over the line." Natshi began striding across the keel towards the remaining thugs. "Listen here you, I don't care if you're a good guy, a bad guy, or whatever else you were planning on doing. But I will not let you disrespect the name of the Faerie Tail Guild!" Barbra smirked at this "Oh, and what's a little girl like you gonna do huh? Stop me? _**Eminence Typhoon!**_ " The magic spiraled out towards Natshi, a great rolling wave of rose colored flame, who looked like a deer caught in a hunter's gaze by the magic. The explosion caused by the magic was intense. "Natshi!" Luke made to run towards her, but Happy rose up on his wings and blocked his path. The men who had been drugged had been waking up the entire time, seeing their position and the rolling flames they ran as one back towards the town, eager to escape. Barbra smiled at her handiwork, a crass smile on her face. "And so it ends." She turned to leave but before she could move more than a yard away, a great slurping sound was heard as if someone was swallowing up an extremely long noodle. "Yuck, this shit is terrible" Natshi's voice came from the still blazing ball of flame. "Are you sure you're really a fire wizard? Because this is the worst fire I've ever had." Barbra turned back to the ship a look of pure amazement on her face as the flames disappeared down the gullet of the young woman, her stomach bulging out of proportion before settling back to its normal size. Luke wore a similar expression, his jaw hanging open at the sight. "Ahhh" Natshi said wiping her mouth, a large smile on her face "Thanks for the snack, poser." "Fire magic doesn't work on Natshi" Happy said with an eerie expression on his face. Natshi stopped at the edge of the keel looking down at the stunned slavers. "After that I've got a fire in my belly that can't be stopped." Her cheeks bulged out as she leaned back, cupping her hands in front of her face a magic circle flaring into existence in front of her hands. " _ **Fire Dragon's Roar!"**_ A blast of flame exploded from the magic circle inundating everything in its path, everything except Barbra who had used her own magic to carry her out of the path of the flames. "Hey boss I know this chick" one of the struggling thugs called up to Barbra. "The pink hair, the scaly scarf, the fire magic. This is the real one boss, the REAL Salamander!" Luke looked on as Natshi's fist caught fire. "I hope you joker's are paying attention because this is what a REAL Faerie Tail wizard can do!" She began to run towards Barbra who countered with her own attack. " _ **Red Shower!"**_ Balls of pink flame began floating down exploding in Natshi's path but she dodged them all. She jumped up into the air delivering a kick that sent Barbra flying into a group of houses on a cliff. Luke watched the fight in amazement. "So she eats fire and then attacks with it, how does it work? Is it some type of spell?" "She has a dragon stomach to eat the fire, dragon lungs to breathe fire, dragon scales to protect her from harm, and dragon claws wrapped in fire that she can punch and kick with. Her brand of fire magic is the type that allows her body to take on the aspects of a dragon. It's an ancient magic that is very rare and hardly used anymore. It was originally used to fight dragons. She is a Fire Dragon Slayer." Happy stated succinctly as if he had given this speech multiple times. " _ **Hell Eminence!**_ " A bright beam of flame sped towards the ground lighting several fires, Natshi emerged unharmed using her magic like a boost to reach Barbra's altitude. After sucking down an extremely large ball of flame that had been thrown at her, Natshi began to smile. "You better be ready because I'm gonna char you like a grilled fish!" Summoning an intense ball of fire in her right hand flame's burst from her feet propelling her towards the flabbergasted woman. " _ **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"**_ The punch connected solidly with Barbra's face knocking her down to the ground before she bounced up into the air before finally colliding with a church bell with a reverberating toll. Smoked and charred houses marked the path she had followed and a large blaze was spreading rapidly. Luke looked out at the chaos, "that was amazing, but she definitely went overboard." "Aye!" Happy replied smiling, his mind focused on the image of a nicely grilled fish. Through the crackling of flames many boots marching in sync could be heard, Luke turned around to see a contingent of the Royal Army marching towards him pikes at the ready. Before he could utter more than a stuttered word he felt himself being pulled rapidly by his arm in the opposite direction towards the main highway out of town. Natshi turned her head to look back at him "C'mon we gotta beat it outta here fast!" "Where are you taking me?" Luke shouted, struggling to keep his feet as he ran. "You said you wanted to join Faerie Tail didn't you?" Natshi's face broke into a cheek to cheek smile, the flames in the night sky lighting her face like a halo of light. "So let's go!" Luke's smile matched Natshi's own as he increased his speed to match hers. With Happy flying overhead and the Royal Army behind them Luke and Natshi ran into the night, each eagerly anticipating the adventures that were sure to be ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hey everyone! Great news, this is chapter 2! It's a bit shorter than the first chapter but I'm thinking about keeping them all about this same length if I can. Feel free to post a comment or send me a PM. I hope you enjoy!**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I only claim the OC. Everything else belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

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Faerie Tail

Chapter 2 – Fire Dragons, Monkeys, and Bulls Don't Mix

Standing in front of the building of his dreams Luke Heartfilia could not help but wonder if this was all an elaborate dream. The trip from Hargeon had not been arduous, what had required the most work was sneaking back into the partly wrecked city to retrieve his luggage from his hotel. Thankfully the building had not been damaged in the firestorm that had been the result of a wizards duel. First changing into his outfit from earlier in the day as it was quicker than going through all his clothes and deciding what he wanted to wear. Paying the cost of the room and with bags firmly in hand he had met up with Natshi and Happy at the train station and from there left for the quaint town of Magnolia.

Shaking his head to clear any stray thoughts Luke looked up at the large two-story building that was the home of Faerie Tail. The name of the guild was on a brass plaque in blue lettering flanked by two Faeries. The stylized versions of them were the mark of the guild. "Welcome to Faerie Tail!" Happy exclaimed. His smile was matched by Natshi and Luke's own grin was bigger than either of them. This was the day he had been waiting for, all he had to do was open the doors and step inside and his new life would begin. Before he could reach out to do so Natshi's kick banged them open, striding confidently into the guild she and Happy both called out simultaneously "We're back alive!" A chorus of greetings came from the multitude of mages lounging around the main floor of the guild. Many were seated at large tables with food and drinks in front of them while others conversed with their friends.

Several wizards were standing in front of a large tack-board intently going over the pieces of paper posted there. Some were seated at the long bar at the far end of the hall. Another smaller sign above the bar read Faerie Tail, and the bartender an attractive white haired young woman glanced up from where she had been cleaning glasses at the noise. Luke took all this in and more as he followed Natshi and Happy his head whipping back and forth as he looked all around him. A man sitting at a table with three others laughed as he saw Natshi. "Oi, Natshi. Heard you went all out in Hargeon. Word is the port…" This was as far as he got before Natshi kicked him in the face sending him flying into a group of tables by the wall. "You lied to me about Salamander you bastard!" Natshi screamed at the man. He was instantly on his feet yelling back at her "I didn't lie, I told you that it was just a rumor and that there was no proof!" "It was just a rumor? Are you stupid or something?!" "Oh, you wanna fight?!"

Luke looked on dumbfounded as the two began trading blows immediately apparent that Natshi held the upper hand as the threw the man along the floor knocking over tables like ninepins sending people and food flying everywhere. "Calm down Natshi" Happy said from his perch on a table, "I think that's…" he was unable to finish as a flying body slammed into him knocking him painfully into a wall. A brawl started that quickly enveloped almost everyone in the hall, punches and food being thrown with equal regularity. Luke stood in the midst of this chaos, smiling and blushing madly. "I can't believe it" he thought to himself "I'm actually standing in the Faerie Tail Guild Hall."

"So Natshi finally made it back huh?" came a voice from behind him. Turning around Luke nearly fainted at the sight of a young midnight haired woman in nothing but matching dark blue bra and panties. A silver stylized metal cross hung on a silver chain around her neck falling between her breasts. Her guild symbol was on her right breast only a couple shades lighter than her hair. She glared at the pink haired dragon slayer hopping from foot to foot in anticipation of joining the fight. "Time to settle our little issue from the other day Natshi."

"Grace, your clothes!" this came from a stunning brunette seated at the bar, a glass of wine in her hand. Her top consisted of a blue bikini paired with maroon capris and a pink belt. Silver bangles adorned her arms while blue arm bands with silver trim rested on her toned biceps. Her guildmark was on her left hip just above her low slung capris. "I don't have time for them Cana!" Grace yelled back obviously itching to start fighting. Cana sighed, "This is why no one dates Faerie Tail women, no class." Luke's eyes bulged in horror as Cana lifted an entire barrel of beer and began to drink from it.

"C'mon and fight me Natshi" Gray yelled at the pinkette who was currently strangling the man she had originally began fighting with. "Not until you put some clothes on, I don't want to end up on late night LacrimaVision again." An extremely tall man with white hair walked over towards the two, the white hair was shocking as he looked no older than 20. A scar stretched down from his right eye towards his cheek and his outfit consisted of a blue top with a stiffened collar and blue pants. Wooden sandals adorned his feet and shook his head at the arguing females. "It's not even noon and you two are already whining like spoiled children. Real Men speak with their fists, want me to show ya?" Natshi and Grace turned as one, "Shut it, Elfman!" they yelled simultaneously their fists both landing a solid punch to his face and knocking him unconscious and sending him flying.

"Ugh, so rude." This comment came from an attractive man seated on a bench along the wall. His orange hair was spiky in a just rolled out of bed look, his eyes behind blue glasses watched the fight seemingly oblivious to the two beautiful women curled into his arms and cuddling into his green jacket. "You'll protect us right Loke?" cooed one, "Yeah Loke, protect us" moaned the other stroking the side of his face. Her hand jerked away in panic as a stray bottle struck Loke's forehead making him slide to the floor in surprise. Quickly getting up and dusting himself off Loke gave the two a charming smile. "I will fight for the honor of you both" he stated before turning to join the fray. "Good luck, Loke!" the girls called after him before quickly moving a safe distance away.

Luke continued to watch the fight his eyes looking from one group to the next. "These people are insane" he mumbled to himself "is there not a single rational person in this guild?" "Why hello, are you new here?" The voice was as soft and light as an angel's Luke spun around so fast that he nearly lost his balance. Before him stood the white-haired bartender he had noticed upon entering the guild. Now that he saw her up close he realized that it was none other than Mirajane Strauss wearing a pink strapless flowing dress, a large white ribbon was tied in a bow around her waist her hair flowed down her back like water except for the small portion in front of her face that was tied up in a small ponytail pointing straight up. "You, you, you, you're Mirajane! In the flesh!" Luke managed to stammer out his cheeks filled with a red blush.

Mirajane chuckled, the sound like the tinkling of bells on a clear spring morning. Luke somehow managed to regain his composure, turning to look at the brawl that was dangerously approaching he spoke to Mirajane. "Should we not perhaps break all this up or something?" Mirajane shook her head looking out over the scene with fondness and perhaps a hint of love. "This is how things have always been, it will be alright. Besides…" Mirajane was unable to continue for a moment as the large white haired man from earlier flew into her knocking her back several feet with him on top her "It's kind of fun don't you think" she finished before falling unconscious, a large knot forming on her skull.

Before Luke could do more than gape in horror at the sight of the unconscious model something crashed into him from behind knocking him to the ground. Turning his head to look behind him the first thing he noticed was Natshi twirling a dark blue bra in one hand and matching panties in the other, a dark grin on her face. "Give me back my underwear you whore!" The shout came from shockingly close to Luke's ear as he realized that a now fully naked Grace was lying on his back.

His face turning red instantly as he grasped the implications of this he quickly scrambled out from underneath her as she got up as well. He covered his eyes with his hands, as she turned to face him thereby putting her luscious body fully on display. "Excuse me sir?" She asked nonchalantly "could I trouble you for your shirt and boxers?" Ignoring her he instead ran over to the unconscious Mirajane, kneeling by her side to see if there was any aid he could provide.

"Oi, this has gone on long enough! All I wanted was a quiet drink at the bar and you idiots are ruining that!" this came from Cana as she pulled what looked like a tarot card out of her pocket a pale blue magic circle growing from the back. "Oh yeah?" this from Grace who had managed to regain her underwear from Natshi as vapor began to seep out from her clenched together fists an ice white magic circle forming above them. A purple magic circle traversed the length of Elfman's right arm changing it into solid rock. Loke twisted one of the rings on his right hand a lime green magic circle growing from it. "You jerks are such a nuisance" he said shaking his head. Natshi's fists began to glow as balls of fire formed around them. "Bring it!" she yelled, "I'll take you all on!"

"Do they always fight with magic like this?" Luke asked Happy, both of them trying not to be seen hiding behind a pillar. "Aye" Happy replied "You don't seem too worried about it though." "Aye" "Stop "Aye"ing me, you stupid cat!" Luke was about to continue until a deep thunderous voice echoed out across the hall. "Will you all stop fighting like idiot children?!" The being who spoke was hunched over so as to avoid breaking the ceiling for it surely would have were it standing upright. No detail of its body could be seen as it was shrouded in shadow from head to foot. Glowing eyes and sharp teeth marked where its face was and what looked like horns sprouted from its head. Across the hall wizards ceased whatever they were doing at its words, fights stopping instantly.

A clear voice rang out in the silence of the hall. "Oh, I'm sorry Master; I didn't realize that you were still here." Mirajane spoke up as she moved to stand next to the hulking behemoth. Luke's heart almost stopped at the words. This being was the Master of Faerie Tail? Had he wanted to join a dark guild all this time? Clear laughter rang out drawing his attention to Natshi, standing with her hands on her hips in the middle of some clear space amidst the debris. "What a bunch of babies, looks like I win this…" her words were cut off as one of the beings feet crashed down on top of her driving her body into the floor.

The being turned its gaze to stare at Luke. "So, this is our new recruit I take it?" Luke snapped to attention part of him wanting to faint, part wanting to flee, and part of him screaming in abject terror making it impossible for him to move. With a rush of magic the being shrank in size, shadows falling away as they revealed an extremely short older gentleman wearing a white t-shirt with the Faerie Tail emblem under an orange coat with orange trousers and brown shoes. A blue and orange striped hat rested on his head two pointy drooping tips on either side of his head. "He's tiny!" Luke thought to himself as the Master brushed himself off with the rolled paper he held in his left hand.

"Pleased to meet ya m'boy" the Master extended his other hand and Luke shook firmly. "Allow me to introduce the Master of Faerie Tail, Makarov Dreyar." Mirajane said as she moved to stand next to Luke. Master Makarov nodded to Luke before bounding high into the air to land on the second story balcony. Regaining his balance after almost slipping off, the Master cleared his throat before addressing the gathered wizards.

"You guys have gone and done it again! The Magic Council sent me a stack of paperwork as tall as I am detailing all the damage you've done. Have you all taken leave of your senses? All you kids are god for is getting the Council pissed at me!" The wizards in the hall all bowed their heads in shame, for they had never intended for their actions to cause trouble for the master. "However, I say to hell with what the Council says. Any power that surpasses reason is still born from reason correct? Magic is not the work of miracles, it is only made real when we touch the well of energy inside us synchronizes perfectly with the flowing energy of the natural world. To perform magic one must be of strong mind and possess the ability to focus, calling forth the energy from your very soul. If we are only concerned with following rules and guidelines then there is no progression in the ways and strength of magic! Do not let those airheads on the Council scare you, follow the path your heart believes in! We follow that path and that's what makes the Faerie Tail Guild Number 1!" At this every member of Faerie Tail raised their right hand high in the air, palm towards them with the thumb and index finger extended and gave out a loud roar of approval.

After everything had calmed down, Luke received his Faerie Tail guildmark. He chose to get it in bright gold on the back of his right hand. "Congratulations!" Mirajane smiled as she put away the instrument. "You are now a full member of the Faerie Tail Guild." Luke looked at the mark on his hand, running his fingers over it as his mind fully processed that his heart's desire had come true. He walked over to Natshi who was standing in front of what he now knew to be Request Board looking bored as she looked over the posted requests. "Natshi! I'm official now, I'm actually in Faerie Tail." Natshi acknowledged this with a slight nod, her eyes never leaving the board.

Happy looked up at Natshi, tugging on her skirt to get her attention. "Make sure you pick one with a large reward okay? We're starting to run low on food money." Natshi perked up as she pulled a request off the board. "160,000 Jewel just to take care of some bandits? Sounds right up our alley." "Aye!" Happy replied "Let's get going!" As the pair walked towards the bar to get Mirajane to approve the request they saw Master Makarov sitting on the bar finish taking a drink and slowly put it down as he wiped his moustache. A boy no older than 10 was looking up at him. "What do you mean my dad still isn't back yet?" the boy wore a drab green shirt with a gold S printed on it and orange shorts with sandals. "Romeo, you're starting to get on my nerves. Your dad is a wizard, trust in his abilities and wait at home, I'm sure he will be back soon." "He said that he would be back in 3 days, but it's been a week and there is still no word." "Hmmm" the master rubbed his chin "If I remember correctly, he took a job up on Mt. Hakobe." "Exactly, and it's not that far from here so why won't someone go look for him?" Master Makarov sighed before pinning Romeo with a glare. "Romeo, I will say this one last time. Your father is a wizard, and every wizard in Faerie Tail can take care of themselves. So go home and wait for him!" "Jerk!" Romeo yelled as he punched the Master in the face catching him by surprise and knocking him back behind the bar. "I hate this guild!" Romeo yelled as he ran out of the doors, tears flowing down his face.

Luke looked at the fleeing boy with a sad expression on his face. "Damn that's harsh" he said as he took a seat at the bar next to Elfman. "I know it might seem that way on the surface" Mirajane said as she set a glass of white wine down in front of him "But the master truly is worried, this absence with no word isn't normal." A fist smashed down into the bar startling everyone, Luke looked up to see Natshi heaving in anger, a request form crumpled in her other fist. "Watch it, idiot!" Elfman yelled at her, "You'll break something you keep going on like that, that's not how a Real Man shows his anger!" Natshi ignored him, turning around quickly and marching out of the guild, clenching and unclenching her fists, letting the request form fall to the ground. Happy flew after her in silence as Luke struggled to understand what had just happened.

A Faerie Tail member dressed in a green patterned vest and a skirt made of plant material wearing a ring of skulls around his neck and waist moved to lean on the bar next to Master Makarov. "This isn't going to end well Master. You know how she is; she's going to go up there and try to find Macao. All she is going to do is end up hurting his pride." Makarov finished applying a bandage to the scrape on his nose from where Romeo had punched him. "Remember Nab, we cannot chose the path that others take, just let her be."

"Why did Natshi get so upset?" Luke asked Mirajane as he turned back around to face her. "Because Natshi and Romeo have a lot in common, I think she sees herself in Romeo, or at least the person she once was." Mirajane replied while cleaning glasses "Just because we are part of the guild now, doesn't mean that we don't have issues in our past. We have all had more than our fair share of pain, scars, suffering, and loss. The guild helps us move past all that." Luke nodded at her words and spoke with her for several more minutes before finishing his glass and dropping the cost on the table. He set out to meet up with Natshi. They had a fellow guild member to find.

Having acquired the services of a carriage driver who was willing to take them to Mt. Hakobe, Luke, Natshi and Happy all piled inside for the journey. Immediately Natshi claimed a bench for herself stretching out on it face down in preparation for what was to come. As the carriage began to move, Natshi's motion sickness attacked with a vengeance, reducing her to a groaning log, unable to even lift her head. "Wow, you and vehicles really don't get along huh?" Luke observed from his bench across from Natshi's. "Ughhh, why'd you come with us anyways?" Natshi managed to gasp out. "I thought I could help out" Luke said with a shrug, "besides I feel bad for you, so I wanted to participate any way I could."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natshi groaned, nausea threatening to overwhelm her. "Oh nothing" Luke replied. This was the first real opportunity Luke had since he met Natshi to really look at her. Even in her current state, her beauty was obvious. Her pink hair was in a slightly tangled mess stretching to about halfway down her back. A prominent bang was completely covering her right eye, her face screwed into a grimace of pain. Her left arm hung down over the bench with her hand resting on the floor. The taunt well-toned muscles were obvious but no so large as to make her appear masculine. Instead it appeared as though her arm had been crafted from the finest china, pale skin glistening with moisture. Her chest could not really be seen but he would guess that she was perhaps a large C cup or at most a small D.

The skin of her lower back was pulled taut further giving evidence to the amount of physical training that she must engage in regularly. The hint of a tattoo peeked out from underneath the vest but Luke was unable to fathom what it could be. Her baggy pants precluded his eyes from seeing any definition, though based on the rest of her body he would hazard a guess that her ass was supple and well formed with full thighs and strong calves. Her feet were delicate in size and shape with no polish on her toenails. He noticed that her fingernails were unpolished as well, though that would make sense he supposed because the heat from her flames could potentially cause the liquid to ignite and explode.

A sense of peace settled over Luke as he made himself comfortable, thoughts turning from the woman in front of him to the information regarding her he had received from Mira before leaving the guild.

"Natshi's father left her as a child and never returned. Well technically her foster father, not even Natshi knows who her real parents were. Her foster father was a dragon, who found her in the forest and took her in when she was little. He taught her all about magic, language, and culture. But one day, the dragon vanished without a trace, leaving Natshi all alone." Mira spoke quietly as she continued to serve guild members. "Igneel the dragon Natshi was looking for in Hargeon, that must have been her foster father." Mirajane nodded at Luke's words. "Indeed you are correct. Natshi looks forward to the day where she will see Igneel again. She goes out searching every time she hears a rumor that a dragon has been spotted. It's kinda cute don't you think?" Luke was brought out of his thoughts as the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

"I guess we made it here." Luke said, as he got up to stretch his muscles. His actions were nothing compared to Natshi's who jumped up from the bench yelling "It finally stopped!" Flames began spewing from her mouth as she excited the carriage and began to dance Happy jumping up and down beside her. "I'm sorry this is as far as I can take you." The voice of the carriage driver called back to them. Luke stepped out and blinked his eyes in surprise, finding himself in a frozen winter hell. Imposing mountains rose far above him and sheets of driving snow struck at his body as howling wind pierced right through his clothes. "Where the hell are we Natshi? What is this icy wasteland?" "We're on Mt. Hakobe Luke." Natshi replied. Grabbing her pack from the carriage she strapped it on as Happy paid the driver, including an extra amount for him to wait while they trekked up the mountain. "C'mon, it'll only get worse if we stay here." Natshi strode towards a trail, and Luke followed picking Happy up as the blue cat was struggling against the wind. Holding the warm cat close to his body Luke's eyes traversed the path they were to follow staring up at the jagged peaks far above.

"I know we're on a mountain and all, but this is the middle of summer, there shouldn't be a blizzard going on right now." Natshi shrugged, "Stuff like this happens up here all the time. This mountain has the most chaotic weather in all of Fiore." Luke shook his head, "So what kinda crazy job brought Macao to this gods-forsaken place?" Natshi turned to look back at Luke "You mean you came on a job without knowing what it is we were supposed to be doing?" "No, I came on a rescue mission, those are two different things." "If Macao is injured, it falls to us to finish the job for him. And to answer your question he came up here to slay a Vulcan, it's a type of monster." She turned back around and continued walking up the trail. Luke had heard tales of Vulcans, large ape like beasts who possessed great strength. They tended to stay in remote locations only occasionally venturing forth to cause trouble.

"Macao!" Natshi called out, "Macao, where are you?!" Happy repeated her cry, their voices echoing off the mountain walls. Suddenly Natshi stiffened, her senses enhanced to the level of a dragon by her magic easily able to pick up on the rapidly approaching footfalls. Natshi looked up and then immediately dived out of the way as a massive Vulcan landed in the spot where she had been a second before. Luke was not so fortunate, the shockwave of snow from the Vulcan's landing lifting him into the air and slamming his head against a solid slab of stone, stunning him senseless. There was a flash of light and Luke was visible in the cabinet of a large grandfather clock with black arms and legs and a thin moustache on its face. "I say, this kind of thing happens far too often" the clock muttered to itself.

Natshi was taken aback at the sudden appearance of what was probably one of Luke's celestial spirits. However she wasted no time in summoning a flaming fist and leaped towards the Vulcan. Only it was no longer there, landing feet first in a deep snowdrift Natshi looked on as the Vulcan grabbed the clock, looking intently at the wizard inside. Luke's eyes widened in fear at the face of the monster pressed up against Horologium's glass. The Vulcan picked the clock up above its head and began running back to its lair. "Help Me! he yells" Horologium said in a panicked voice, "I don't want to die so young! he moans" Horologium's voice echoed back as the Vulcan vanished from sight. "Well that could have gone better" Natshi thought to herself as she used her magic to free herself from the snow. Sniffing the air deeply she caught the Vulcan's scent. Happy leaped onto her back as she began to track the Vulcan to its lair.

In a cave near the summit of Mt. Hakobe the Vulcan stared intently at the human male he had captured. Luke had no idea why the monster wanted him and hoped that Natshi was on their trail. He didn't know how much longer Horologium could remain in this realm. As if on cue the clock-man disappeared leaving Luke sitting on the icy floor with a monster in his face. "Horologium, get back here right now!" He yelled at the ceiling but the clock man did not reappear. The monster in front of him rubbed its hands excitedly and Luke quickly pushed himself away as fast as he could sliding on the cold floor before hitting the wall of the cave. "Hey, monkey brain! Where is Macao?!" This shout came from the cave entrance as Natshi rushed inside, before she could do much else her foot slipped on the ice causing her to fall on her head painfully and slide into another snowdrift. Luke shook his head at the sight, "Why do you always, have to make a big entrance all the time?" he called to the upside down dragon slayer. Natshi ignored him, "Ugh, spill it monkey. Where is Macao?"

Getting up she faced the monkey head on as Luke moved to stand beside her. "I know Vulcan's can talk so answer the question already!" The monster nodded pointing toward a hole in the side of the cave. "Smart move, ape brain" Natshi said as she moved to look in the hole. Which turned out to be a bad idea as the hole was really a window as the Vulcan grabbed her by the legs and pushed her out of it. "MONKEY!" Natshi's scream echoed as she fell getting softer with distance. The Vulcan turned back to his stunned captive, who was looking on in open mouthed shock. The Vulcan began to hop up and down yelling unintelligibly as Luke ran to the window and looked down at the steep snow covered mountainsides. "Gods I hope she isn't dead" He thought to himself as he saw no sign of the pinkette. Turning back to the grinning monster Luke pulled a Golden Key off the ring in his pouch. Connecting to his magic the Key began to spin rapidly, "Open, Gate of the Bull!" Grabbing the Key he swiped it down towards the ground "Taurus!" A magic circle appeared in the ground and a black and white spotted bull appeared. This bull stood on two legs and had a large double bladed axe strapped to his back.

"Good to see you, again Luke" The bull nodded towards the Vulcan who was staring dumbfounded at the cow man in front of him. "Need me to send this monkey back to the zoooooooooooo?" "You got it Taurus, take him down!" Taurus pulled his axe off his back and began spinning it rapidly while racing towards the Vulcan. Reaching up to deliver a devastating strike, he was knocked flying by a kick to the face from a certain pink haired dragon slayer who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "NATSHI!" Luke screamed at the pinkette who was looking confusedly from the dazed Celestial Spirit to the even more confused Vulcan. "How come there are more monsters here now than there were when I got thrown out?" She asked a furious Luke. "The bull guy is one of my Celestial Spirits, he is an ally you idiot! And another thing, how were you able to survive?!" Natshi smiled and pointed up to a flying Happy. "It was all my little buddy here, he caught me before I fell too far." "Aye!" Happy said in response.

"So you get motion sickness when you are in a vehicle, but you have no problem flying with a cat?" Natshi looked at Luke like he had suddenly taken leave of his senses. "What kind of stupid question is that? Happy isn't some vehicle, he's my best friend. I mean come on the difference is obvious." "You're right, it was so wrong of me to compare the two." Luke replied sarcastically. Their attention was drawn back to the matter at hand by a loud roar from the Vulcan who was leaping towards Natshi. As it's fist came down on top of her Natshi blocked with her arm. The shockwave of force that went out from the impact shattered the ice all around her but caused her no harm. "Listen up you big ape! I consider everyone in the Faerie Tail guild my friend." The Vulcan kicked out at her, hitting her crossed arms and sending her sliding back towards the other end of the cave. "Everyone, Gramps, Mira, hell even those annoying jerks Grace and Elfman." Natshi summoned her magic as the Vulcan raced towards her a flame red magic circle erupting to life under her feet. "Happy and Luke too, they are all my friends!" She leaped into the air kicking the Vulcan in the chest with a flaming foot. "Which is why I'm not leaving without Macao!" The Vulcan slammed against the roof of the cave before lightly landing on its feet as large icicles dislodged from the ceiling and impacted into the ground. The Vulcan brought its hands together causing a rush of wind that carried the ice towards Natshi. "Ice attacks don't work on fire, and I've fought with Grace enough that this ice isn't even cold."

When the dust from the attack settled Luke and Natshi were shocked to see the Vulcan holding Taurus's axe. "Uh oh" they said simultaneously as the Vulcan launched itself towards them axe raised. Luke dove out of the way as Natshi evaded the strikes with ease before slipping once more on the ice. Seeing its chance the Vulcan brought the axe slamming down only to have it stop as Natshi caught it between her hands. Luke ran over to Taurus, shaking the Celestial Spirit frantically. "Taurus, close the Gate! If you go back then your axe goes back too." Steam began to rise from the axe as Natshi channeled fire from her palms into the shining blade causing drops of molten metal to fall into her mouth. "Now I'm energized!" yelled Natshi as she rapidly spit the metal balls at the Vulcan causing it to drop the axe in pain. "Here I go! _**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**_ " A flaming fist struck the Vulcan in the face sending it flying into the opposite wall of the cave, finally down for the count. Luke walked over to the unconscious monster as Natshi and Happy danced around excitedly. "Well you certainly did a number on him, but wasn't he supposed to tell us where Macao is?" "Oh yeah" Natshi said rubbing her head in embarrassment. A bright light came from the monster's body, as it receded Luke and Natshi were stunned to see a man lying where the monster had been previously.

"Macao!" Natshi yelled running to kneel next to the wounded man. "The Vulcan must have used its Take-Over magic on him." Happy said thoughtfully as he landed on Macao's other side peering over his numerous injuries. "Take-Over magic? I thought Vulcan's were just super strong." Luke asked going to Natshi's pack to look for the first aid kit. "Vulcan's are monsters that survive by stealing people's bodies and taking them over, they are evil body snatchers and once they take over a body they are extremely hard to expel." Happy answered.

With Natshi's help Luke laid the unconscious man on a blanket and began to bandage the wounds. "It looks like he put up an intense fight before the Take-Over." Happy said softly. Natshi leaned over the unconscious man her face above his, "Don't you dare die on me Macao! Romeo is waiting for you! Wake up!" A small grunt came from the man, his eyes opening. "Natshi? What are you doing here?" Macao asked as Natshi shouted his name in surprise and joy. "I'm pathetic" he moaned "I defeated 19 of those crazy apes, but the 20th slipped around my guard and took me over. I'm so embarrassed Natshi, I can't face Romeo like this." "You have no reason to be embarrassed Macao, you beat 19 monsters singlehandedly. That's not a feat most wizards can achieve." Natshi said extending her hand to help him sit up. "No way" Luke thought to himself "I can't believe this guy took a job to kill 20 monsters on his own. Just how strong are Faerie Tail wizards? I'm nowhere near that powerful." "Let's go home, Romeo's waiting for you."

The sun was setting as they arrived in Magnolia and headed towards Macao's apartment. As they walked along the street, Luke looked up to see Romeo sitting in front of his house apparently crying. "Hey, Romeo!" Natshi called out. The boy looked up, fresh tears coming to his face at the sight of his father being supported by the dragon slayer as they walked towards him. Romeo ran down to them and tackled his father in a hug knocking them both to the ground. As the two embraced Luke looked over at Natshi who was looking down at the two with a smile on her face a small tear escaped from her eye and she quickly wiped it away.

Luke pretended not to notice, a large smile on his own face as Macao told his son to ask the kids who had been bullying him if their fathers could kill 19 monsters singlehandedly. Natshi turned and walked away with Luke following behind and Happy flying overhead. Romeo called out from behind them "Natshi! Happy! Thanks for your help!" "No, problem kiddo!" Natshi called over her shoulder. "Luke! Thanks for helping them bring my dad home!" Luke turned around walking backwards and waved at the ecstatic boy a huge smile on his face. "See you around Romeo! Take care Macao!"

As they walked back to the guild Luke reflected on what had happened that day. His first day as a member of Faerie Tail had certainly been eventful. He hoped every day wouldn't be like this, he just hoped that every day would be fun.

* * *

 ** _So what do you all think? Chapter 3 should be going up sometime this week, and if it doesn't then it will definitely go up next Tuesday. Stay Awesome folks!_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_ _ **Hey guy, sorry this chapter is a day late going up. Fanfiction was being stupid and not letting me log in yesterday. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this week's chapter. Keep sending those reviews and hit that Fav/Follow button if you like what your reading. I want to give a special thank you to everyone who has favorited the story so far, you are all awesome.  
**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I only claim the OC, everything else belongs to Hiro Mashima.  
**

Faerie Tail

Chapter 3 – Infiltrate the Everlue Estate

Luke Heartfilia awoke slowly, a breeze coming in through his open window bringing with it the scent of freshly baking bread. He stretched languorously the muscles of his abs rippling as he stretched his arms above his head. Throwing off the covers Luke moved to the bathroom to shower in his new apartment. After getting back to the guild from helping find Macao, Luke spent the night in a dorm reserved for the male members of Faerie Tail. Elfman, as well as Alzack Connell, a Gun Magic user, both made sure that he was made welcome. There was nothing wrong with the dorm, but Luke had always preferred to have his own space whenever possible. So the next day he went searching for an apartment, finally finding a rustic brownstone near downtown Magnolia. The Landlady scared him a bit and the rent was 70,000 Jewel a month, but the apartment was already fully furnished and ready to move in. So he took the deal, reasoning that he would be working enough jobs to cover the expense. After a steaming hot shower and brushing his teeth he opened the curtain to the rest of his apartment.

"Yo Luke! Nice place you got here." Luke stared openmouthed at Natshi Dragneel who was currently eating through his stash of potato chips at his table while Happy sat on the table contentedly chewing on a fish. The detritus of other potato chip bags were strewn across the floor along with apple cores, fish bones, and other trash. "What the hell are you two doing here!" he yelled at them. Remembering suddenly that he was clad only in a towel Luke hurriedly retreated back into the bathroom. "Mira told us that you got this place so we came by to say hi and check out your new pad." Natshi replied calmly. Peeking his head back around the curtain Luke glared at the pair. "What you call "checking out" I call breaking and entering, that's a crime you know!" "Aww come on, don't be like that we were just trying to be friendly" Natshi pouted, "Aye, we just wanted to make sure you were settling in okay." This came from Happy who was in the middle of scratching the walls as he said it. "Stop scratching my freaking walls! I'm only renting this place you know, I have to pay extra for any damages."

As Luke and Happy argued, Happy claiming that he needed to sharpen his claws until Luke strode over and grabbed the cat holding him up to eye level and yelling in his face seemingly forgetting he was still in a towel. As she finished the bag of chips Natshi looked around the apartment. Noticing a large stack of papers on the desk by the window Natshi walked over and picked them up. "Hmmm I wonder what this is" she muttered to herself as she glanced at the cover page. Hearing her words despite his argument with Happy, Luke glanced over at her. Seeing what she held in her hands he immediately dropped the cat, bounded over to Natshi and ripped the pages out of her hands body-checking her away from the desk as he did so. Natshi looked up from where she had landed on the floor as the Celestial Spirit wizard clutched the papers to his chest a manic expression on his face. "What the fuck!?" Natshi yelled at him rubbing her head where it had made contact with the floor. Slowly his expression calmed as his body slunk to the floor still clutching the mass of papers. "I'm sorry Natshi, it's just that this is very personal and private.. I'm not ready to share it with anyone yet."

Natshi nodded at his words, her own anger dissipating. "Now can you two please leave? I need to get dressed." Natshi grinned at the celestial mage "Nuh-uh, were your friends remember we gotta watch out for you." Luke groaned, it seemed like there was no getting rid of these two though a small part of his brain welcomed the idea of the pinkette watching him change. Mentally slamming a door on that thought lest it lead to other parts of his anatomy responding, Luke quickly moved to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers, a red t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Retreating once again to his bathroom Luke dressed and re-emerged feeling more confident now that his package was protected by more than a flimsy towel.

Walking to the kitchen area of the apartment, Luke began to make tea while Natshi and Happy cleaned up the mess they had made in his living area/bedroom. It did not take long for the kettle to sing its piercing song; Luke removed it from the stove top and placed it on the table. Returning with three cups, Luke sat down opposite Natshi who had proceeded to serve the steaming liquid. "You guys honestly just caught me off guard, I hadn't planned on entertaining guests so soon after I moved in." Luke sipped his tea, a Darjeeling brew he had picked up while in Hargeon from a street vendor.

"Hey, I've got an idea. How about you show us those key things you like to collect" Natshi suggested excitedly. Luke sighed, "They are not "key things" they are Celestial Gate Keys, which summon Celestial Spirits." "How many Spirits do you have Luke?" asked Happy from where he was seated by Natshi's elbow. "6" Luke replied walking over to his desk and retrieving the Keyring from his pouch then returning to sit at the table "and there are two different types of Keys. Silver Keys summon regular Celestial Spirits of varying strength and ability. These Keys can be found in stores that sell magic items and other places that trade in magic goods. The silver Keys I have are Horologium the clock, who you two have already seen, Lyra the Harp, and Crux the Southern Cross.

The other types of Keys are the gold Keys more accurately known as the Zodiac Keys. There are only 12 gold keys in existence one for every spirit of the zodiac and accordingly are extremely rare. The Zodiac Keys I have are Taurus the Golden Bull" At this Luke gave Natshi a glare at which she sunk a bit in her seat "Aquarius the Water Bearer" Luke and Happy both shivered as they remembered the mermaid's hostile attitude "and Cancer the Giant Crab." At the words Giant Crab Happy and Natshi both began drooling undoubtedly imagining chowing down on an extremely large crab. Luke shook his head, "You two are thinking about giant crab legs right? I never imagined anyone could be as obsessed with food as the two of you are. Oh that reminds me, I've been so busy I never took the time to make a contract with the Spirit I got in Hargeon." Going over to the dresser Luke rummaged around for where he had placed the Key. "I don't suppose you two would be interested in watching a contract being formed right?" Luke called over his shoulder.

Natshi and Happy leaned close to whisper to each other, "Do you think there is a lot of blood?" Happy whispered to Natshi. "I don't know" she whispered back "but it sounds like a pain in the ass." "You two know I can hear you right?" Luke whispered as he poked his head between the two of them causing, Natshi to flinch back and Happy to fall back onto the table. Chuckling to himself Luke stepped back to give himself some room before looking at his impromptu audience.

"Now pay attention," Luke raised the key to point at a wall, focusing his magic he began to channel it into the key "I am connected with the Gate to the Celestial Spirit World, I call on thee to pass through to this realm." As he finished speaking silver light began to glow from beneath his feet. Luke let go of the key which began to spin rapidly before grabbing it again and swiping it down through the air. "Open, Gate of Canis Minor, Nicola!" There was a flash of silver light on the ground in front of Luke, when it disappeared there was a white creature standing on two legs with black eyes, a golden drill like protuberance as a nose, and a pink mouth who was constantly wobbling.

Natshi and Happy looked at the spirit in confusion, "Oh well better luck next time" they said to Luke simultaneously. "I meant to do that you idiots" Luke yelled at them. Grabbing a pad and a pen from the desk Luke knelt in front of the Spirit. "Alright, let's work on the contract. Are you free Monday's?" The spirit shook its head no. "Tuesday's?" It nodded yes. "Wednesday's?" As Luke and the spirit continued to work out their contract Natshi poured herself another cup of tea quickly growing bored with the mundane procedure. Happy pulled another fish from his backpack and began to chew on it. "Okay I think we've got it all worked out." Luke announced standing and stretching to force some feeling back into his legs. "That's it?" Natshi called from where she was laying on Luke's bed. Putting the pad and pen away Luke walked to the table and got himself a second cup of tea as well. "It might not look like much, but the contract between a Celestial Spirit and Celestial Spirit Wizard is sacred. It represents the mutual trust between the two. That the wizard will not abuse the spirit and the spirit will come when it is called. I make a point of never breaking my contracts with my spirits. I want them to be my friends and I treat them as such.

"Now what should I name you?" "I thought its name was Nicola?" Happy asked. "That's just the generic name for the species: Luke replied. He snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. "I've got it, I will name you Plue." "Plue?" Natshi and Happy asked in confusion. "Yeah, Plue." Luke replied reaching down to pick up and cuddle the Celestial Spirit in his arms. "He is a cute little guy and Plue is a cute name, it fits him." Luke set Plue down and the Spirit began to dance. "You got that right Plue!" Natshi got off Luke's bed and walked over to Plue a large smile on her face as Plue gave Natshi a thumbs up. "Wait how are the two of you communicating? Natshi glared at Luke who began slowly backing away "What is her deal?" Luke thought to himself. "Alright, its decided" Natshi said as her smile returned "You and me are teaming up Luke." "Teaming up?" Luke asked confusedly. "Aye!" Happy began to explain "Even though everyone in the Guild is allied together some members who are on especially good terms with one another form teams to work together, that way jobs that might be too much for one person on their own can still be completed." Luke smiled "Alright, let's do it. You have my word on my honor." he said high fiving Natshi.

"Great, I've got our first job request right here." Luke took the request from Natshi failing to notice the sly grin she was giving him and the shifty glint in her eyes. "Shirotsume Town, never been there before. 200,000 Jewel just to snatch a book from some guy's mansion? This job will be a piece of cake." Natshi simply nodded as Luke continued to read the request a frown taking over his face as he reached a warning near the bottom of the request. "Wait, this says this guy is looking for a butler, a blonde butler!" "Luke has blonde hair right?" Happy smirked at Natshi who nodded before replying "I'm almost certain we can find a butler's uniform and sneak him into the mansion too." "You jerks set me up!" Luke yelled at the giggling pair "Good thing a certain Celestial Wizard never breaks a contract" Natshi said still laughing, "You're stuck with us now." Luke stalked off to clear the table muttering under his breath about immature dragon slayers and sneaky cats.

Back at Faerie Tail a tall blue haired wizard was looking intently at the request board. His messy blue hair was held out of his eyes by an orange bandanna though two strands framed his face. His aquamarine vest hung open over a yellow t-shirt, long white pants with a brown belt and black shoes completed his outfit. The two women standing next to him waited while he carefully looked at the board. The one on his left wore a large furred top-hat that covered her short orange hair, A coat made of the same material with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows hung open revealing a deep purple blouse. Long black pants with black shoes completed her outfit. The woman opposite her had black hair pulled up into a design that resembled the tail of a whale. A white long sleeved blouse was crisscrossed by gold bandoliers while a green checkerboard skirt covered her legs and with black boots on her feet. The man pulled back from his investigation of the board a frown creasing his face.

"Aww man, someone already took that job to steal that rare book already didn't they? That was a 200K gig." Mirajane who was carrying dishes back to the bar overheard the comment. "Yup, Natshi said she was going to see if Luke was interested in helping her. Sorry Levi." The blue haired man whose name was Levi McGarden sighed in disappointment as he walked over to the bar, the two ladies following him. "I could've used that money though." He muttered to himself. "Why? To buy more books?" this from the orange haired woman who was called Wing "Yeah Levi, we know you love books but your rent is due soon." This from the black haired woman whose name is Diane. Levi smirked, as usual the other two members of Team ShadowGear were correct, he had been planning to use the money to purchase a set of books in a neighboring town and had totally forgotten about his upcoming rent payment. "But if you have finally decided that you don't like living in the dorms you could always move in with me." Wing suggested as Levi took a seat at the bar. This earned her a glare from Diane, "If Levi is moving anywhere from that dorm he is moving in with me, my apartment is obviously the better option." "It is not" "Is so" "Is not" Is so".

As the two began their usual bickering over his affection Levi simply sighed and requested a glass of water from Mira. He had known the two women since they were all children growing up in the guild and was great friends with both of them. Unfortunately that was the crux of the problem, he had no romantic feelings for either of them and they continued to ignore this fact despite him telling them repeatedly. He did not want to lose either of them as friends but their constant bickering was starting to drive him over the edge. "I don't do romance" he thought to himself, "It's much too complicated. Give me a translation of a spell through 5 dead languages any day of the week, love isn't for me."

"It's probably a good thing ShadowGear didn't take that job Levi." Levi looked up to see Master Makarov sitting at the bar a few seats down. "I just got an updated version of the request from the client." "What changed?" Mira asked? As it was her job to maintain the request board and approve job requests she was slightly concerned she had not been made aware of the revision sooner. "The reward was increased from 200,000 Jewel to 2 million Jewel." "2 million Jewel for a book heist?" Levi screamed. "That's monster killing money" Wing added "what's so special about that book?" "I think you are right Master, it probably is a good thing we didn't take that job." Diane added her thoughts to the conversation. "Yeah," Levi agreed finishing his glass of water before standing "let's see if we can find a different job." As the trio returned to the job board to look for a new job, Grace Fullbuster took Levi's spot at the bar. "Sounds like this job just got interesting" she remarked shaking her glass of water so that the ice cubes inside knocked together. "Cute panties Grace" Mirajane quipped as she carried an order past her. Looking down in horror Grace realized she had again unknowingly stripped leaving her in a navy blue bra and a matching thong. "Gahhhhh!" the raven haired woman screamed, running off to find her clothes leaving many in the guild chuckling.

In a carriage nearing Shirotsume Town, Natshi was once again succumbing to her motion sickness. "Is there anything you need Mistress? Enjoying the ride" Luke asked her sarcastically. "I swear to the gods, you are a butler from hell Luke." Natshi groaned cradling her stomach. "Not at all my lady" Luke rose and bowed his right hand placed over his heart and a smirk on his face. "I am simply one hell of a butler." "I thought I was supposed to be the one in charge here!" Happy yelled at the two. Luke chuckled as he sat back down; it was going to be an interesting job.

Natshi winced as the carriage hit another bump the motion almost making her vomit what little was left in her stomach. Not that she had eaten much anyways, just those 4 bagels before they got to Luke's, then half his stash of chips. She needed to ask him where he got them from they were much better than the ones she normally bought. Then all that tea, and the 3 sandwiches she bought while they were waiting for the carriage to arrive. Okay so maybe she did eat a lot, but nowhere near her normal level of consumption. She wasn't stupid the carriage ride was gonna be at least 3 hours and if she had eaten like normal there is no way she would have been able to hold it all down.

She looked at the Celestial Spirit Wizard who was sitting across from her with lidded eyes. She did not want him to know that she was studying him the same way that she had felt him studying her on their ride to Mt. Hakobe a few days ago. "Honestly, does he not understand what having Dragon level senses means?" she thought to herself. "I'm not some slab of meat to gawk at like in a butcher's shop." A small part of her, however had welcomed his scrutiny and she would be lying to herself if his gaze directed at her so intently did not stir a reaction from the animal in her stomach. Ever since she had first laid eyes on him in Hargeon a feeling had begun to grow deep inside her, an animalistic urge that was slowly beginning to form.

Her eyes took in his calm ice blue gaze which was currently directed out of the window admiring the countryside. His mouth was closed though it was in a small grin; she knew that when he really smiled his perfect teeth would shine in the sunlight. When she was younger Igneel had stressed about the importance of teeth and their maintenance, "Your teeth are weapons as much as they are tools" She was laying on his snout looking intently into one of his large eyes. "Sharp weapons cause great damage, are sleek and deadly, and can pierce even the toughest armor. Well-kept tools will serve you faithfully and not break when they are most needed. Take care of your teeth little one, for they are a large part of being a dragon and you will need them when the time comes."

Since then she had always made sure her teeth were clean, her dragon attributes giving them a greater sharpness than normal. She let her eyes drift down to his chest, the muscle was not visible now through his black t-shirt but having seen him earlier in his bathroom she could easily trace the lines of his pectorals. His abs were to die for though, she was certain that if he were calm she could bounce a coin off them and if he flexed she could do her laundry on them and it would come out spotless. She wanted him to become more comfortable with her presence, it was one of the reason's she had wanted to team up with him. She felt calm when he was around, even if he did tend to get annoyed by her and Happy's antics. They were all in good fun. Hopefully in time he would learn to accept them. She had not been able to even guess about the size of his member when he walked out of the shower that morning. While that fact did not concern her much, growing up listening to Cana, Mira, and Grace gossip about boys she had a basic knowledge of what was considered to be a preferred length. "Hmmm, he seems pretty relaxed right now, I want to try something."

Shifting so that she was lying on her back she gave out another loud moan. Luke looked over at her, eyes widening slightly at her new position which had caused her vest to fall away from her chest giving him a free view of her bra clad breasts and smooth stomach. "Need something princess?" he jokingly asked her though there was a tightness to his eyes that told her he was having an internal battle about something. Smiling to herself in her head, she nodded and moaned out "I need a pillow, be a good butler and let me lay my head on your lap." His eyes widened even further at her words mouth opening slightly "W-w-what did you say?" He stammered out. "I said I need a pillow; consider this butler training and a team building exercise rolled into one." Luke nodded slowly before moving over to my side of the carriage. Happy looked up at Natshi from the floor where he was eating a fish but she gave him a look that said stay put. Luke picked Natshi's head carefully before sitting down and letting her lay her head down across his thighs her ear extremely close to his crotch. She snuggled into his lap making herself comfortable and closed her eyes. Natshi could hear his stilted breathing from having her head almost directly on top of his member and once again smirked in her head.

Slowly Luke got his breathing under control, seizing the initiative he began to stroke her hair, letting his fingers comb through the mass of pink locks, lightly pulling out any knots they encountered. Natshi let out a soft rumble of contentment, the vibration causing the blood in his thighs to flow faster which she could tell thanks to her increased hearing. She felt Luke shift slightly, probably to make sure that his steadily growing member wouldn't rub against her face. The fact that he was only wearing loose tan cargo shorts did nothing to aid him in this attempt. He cautiously removed his hand from Natshi's hair but before he could remove it fully her arm shot up and caught his wrist in an iron tight grip. "Keep going" she mumbled into his thigh, the vibrations making his desire to pull his hand away even greater. "I didn't say that you could stop". Her grip remained tight until Luke once again began combing his fingers through her hair. A smile graces Natshi's face, hidden by the fact it's pressed into his thigh. "I'm gonna make him do this every time we travel together, this will certainly be an interesting job."

Once they arrived in Shirotsume Town the trio made their way towards the city square. "Man I'm starving" Natshi exclaimed, stretching her arms high above her head. Luke couldn't help but look and was once again captivated by the magnificent mounds that pressed against her bra. "What the hell is up with her?" Luke wondered to himself, the last half of the carriage ride had been more of an exercise in self-control than teambuilding. Several times he had to force his mind away from thoughts surrounding the busty pinkette who had decided that she would claim his lap for a pillow. He had gone from hard to soft and back so many times, his member felt like it was about to explode. "Well if you're so hungry why don't you summon some of your fire and eat that." He replied before immediately regretting his words when Natshi gave him a look of pure disgust. "Oh sure, and while I'm doing that, you can summon Plue and that cow thing and eat them." Her sarcastic reply caught Luke off guard. "Why the hell would I do that?" "It's basically the same thing. I can't eat my own magic, it's just wrong." Before long they spotted a bustling restaurant and Natshi's good humor returned. "Hey how about we eat here?" She asked him "Nah, I'm good. You two go ahead, I gotta take care of some stuff, I'll meet up with you later." Luke replied before walking off.

Natshi and Happy were chowing down on the platters of food in front of them. "Be sure to save the greasy stuff for Luke" Natshi said between mouthfuls "I'm pretty sure that's his favorite type of food." "Is that so, and might I inquire as to where you obtained this information?" Natshi and Happy looked up in shock. Luke was wearing a black tailcoat that reached to his knees over a maroon vest which extended slightly past the tailcoat in the front, a white tuxedo shirt and black tie. The tail coat had two lengths of chain that reached from a button to the left pocket of the tailcoat. A silver emblem glinted in the lapel pin with white gloves and black shoes to complete the outfit. Luke had gelled his hair moving the bang from in front of his eye and instead letting only a single small lock cross his face over the bridge of his nose.

"Do I look good in anything or what?" Luke smiled down at the two who had begun conversing in whispers "I thought you were going to tell him we were kidding about him wearing a butler costume?" Happy asked Natshi "I forgot, just don't say anything about it and we will be fine" Natshi replied. Luke cleared his throat before leaning down to put his faces next to theirs "You two know I can still hear you right?" He asked with a sweet smile on his face though the other two weren't fooled for a moment and ran out of the restaurant with Luke chasing them.

Later the trio went to meet with the client Kaby Melon who explained that Duke Everlue was in possession of a book entitled " _Daybreak_ " and he wanted that book destroyed. Natshi offered to burn down the mansion as well, especially when the team was informed that the reward had been raised from 200,000 Jewel to 2 million. They were now scoping out the estate of Duke Everlue, which was situated on a cliff overlooking the rest of Shirotsume Town. "Okay here is the plan; I will infiltrate the mansion by applying for the butler position. Once I find and unattended window, I'll open it. Happy will fly the two of you into the window. We will locate the library, find the book, burn it, and exit through that opened window. Should be in and out in under 30 minutes. Happy, once you drop Natshi, outside the wall you will come back for me okay?" Luke quickly explained the plan to the other two as they were hiding in a copse of trees outside the mansions front gate. "Aye Sir!" Happy replied. "What if something goes wrong?" Natshi asked Luke gave her a small smile "Then we improvise." He quickly moved from his hiding spot, making it to the driveway leading up to the mansion and walked up to the gate. Knocking loudly he called out "Greetings, I have arrived to interview for the position of butler for this estate."

The ground in-front of the mansion began to crack before splitting open a giant woman with pink hair in a maid outfit leaping from the hole to land in front of the startled Luke. "I assume you are here because of the add Master placed in the paper correct?" She spoke in a booming voice. "Did I hear someone call?" An overweight man with a large mustache wearing a suit held together by an overly large button leaped out of the hole to land next to the hulking maid. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance sir." Luke said while bowing to the man who had to be the Duke Everlue. Everlue looked Luke over before sniffing with a wave of his hand. "You are not needed ugly, get lost." His paralyzed a flabbergasted Luke, he felt himself being lifted by his collar and looked up at the hulking maid who was holding him singlehandedly. "You heard the master, get lost." Everlue spoke once again. "You see a man in my position has certain expectations for his staff, that is why I hire only the most beautiful and stunning staff the land has to offer." At his words 4 more maids sprung up from the ground, each extremely grotesque.

Luke felt himself flying through the air before landing somewhere in the forest. Natshi and Happy were by his side almost immediately as he rose and brushed himself off. "Well that didn't go well. Stupid son of a bitch wouldn't know what beauty looked like if it walked up to him naked and bit him on the ass." Caught up in Luke's ranting and Natshi and Happy's plan T for Take em by Storm the trio failed to notice the security lacrima that was looming above them. Inside the mansion Duke Everlue watched the feed. "Well well, looks like my feeling about that butler was spot on, he isn't a butler at all." Zooming in to get a closer view of the gold guildmark on Luke's hand Everlue's eyes narrowed in anger. "They are from Faerie Tail, deal with them appropriately." His words were directed to two figures that stood in the shadows behind him, before they nodded and walked off.

Having snuck into the mansion by burning a hole in an upstairs window Natshi, Luke, and Happy crept along a hallway searching for the library. "Ugh, do we honestly need to search every room in this freaking house?" Natshi complained "I say we just take a hostage and force them to tell us where the book is." "The whole point is to not let our presence be discovered dummy" Luke replied "We need to be stealthy, like ninja's." At the word ninja both Happy and Natshi's eyes began to gleam. Quickly wrapping her scarf around her face so only her eyes were visible Natshi struck a pose similar to one that was popular from a ninja anime that was popular on Lacrima-Vision. "We are ninja!" She whispered "Ninja!" Happy repeated from her shoulder in the same pose. Before Luke could do more than slam his palm into his face at their childishness the carpet in front of them erupted disgorging the 5 maids from earlier. "Intruder alert!" One screamed, "Get them Virgo!" The largest maid, jumped high into the air "Virgo Attack!" She screamed falling down on top of Natshi.

Natshi was not pinned for long as she lifted the woman above her before punching her into her compatriots with a flaming fist sending them all flying. "Just FYI guys, ninja's are supposed to be quiet." Luke remarked as he walked past them continuing to search for the library. Finally they found it opening the door's carefully to see the multitude of bookshelves within. They began searching the bookshelves, with Natshi and Happy pulling out random books and remarking on them. "Hey look at this one it's sparkly!" Natshi called to the other two. "Can you please focus?" Luke yelled at her before reading the title of the book in her hand. "You found it!" Luke cried as he began to climb down the book ladder he had been perched on. "Huh?" Natshi looked down, the cover was bright gold and in embossed black letters the title read " _Daybreak_ ". "Wait I didn't know that book was written by Kemu Zaleon."

Luke grabbed the book from Natshi before she could summon her magic and burn it. "He is one of the greatest wizard authors of recorded history; this must be an unpublished work." "Who cares, all books burn the same" Natshi said summoning a ball of fire in her hand. "One spark and we just earned ourselves a cool 2 mil." "We can't burn this; we don't even know what it's about. There could be forgotten knowledge in here, this book is priceless." Luke pleaded. "What about the job?" Happy asked? "How about we just say we burned it and I keep it. No one but us has to know." "I'm not a liar Luke" Natshi growled angrily advancing on him with both palms lit.

"Well well, what have we here?" The voice came from beneath them as a hole formed in the library and Duke Everlue hopped out. "I knew you lowlife wizards were here to steal something from me, but I had no idea it was that stupid book." "See slowpoke, this is why you don't hesitate to finish a job" Natshi complained to Luke. "I wonder what it is about this book, the client was willing to pay 2 million Jewel for us to destroy it, but this jerk says it's stupid" Luke thought to himself. "If the book is stupid then how about I keep it?" Luke suggested to Everlue "No, get you grubby hands off it its mine!" He whined. "Cheapskate!" "Shut up, ugly!" Everlue fired back.

"Luke, will you just give me the book so I can burn it and we can get the hell out of here?!" Natshi yelled at him. Luke hopped onto a large desk "At least let me read it first" His response was met with shock. "I've had enough, I'll teach you to mess with me and my possessions. Come forth Vanish Brothers!" A section of bookshelves slid into the wall allowing two men to enter the library. Both were tall with one wearing a blue jacket and black hair that spiked everywhere. The other had his hair in a long braid down his back a carried a large frying pan. They both wore armbands with the same symbol. "Those two are from the Southern Wolves Mercenary Guild!" Happy warned Natshi. "Woah, that's interesting." Luke hopped off the desk. "Natshi, buy me some time, I'm certain this book holds some kind of secret." "On it" Natshi replied as Luke ran to the hole in the floor and dropped through. "So you've got body guards huh? Not gonna make a difference." Natshi cracked her knuckles menacingly.

"We Southern Wolves are always hungry" The one with the frying pan stated. "A little Faerie like you won't even make a good snack." The other quipped. The floor began to rumble as Everlue sank into it. "I'm going after the blonde, you two make sure the pinkette ends up in pieces!" "Happy, find Luke and help him. I'll handle these two punks." "Aye!" with that Happy flew down the same hole Luke had dropped down.

"We noticed earlier that you are a fire wizard, this is unfortunate for you as fighting fire wizards is our specialty." The one with the braid spoke calmly. Natshi didn't reply instead choosing to launch herself at the duo, a flaming punch being stopped cold by the frying pan before she was kicked through the door of the library and into the main hall of the mansion. She landed on an ornate golden statue of Duke Everlue. Turning to face the two mercenaries she called up to them "If that's the best you can do, your dead wrong." The two leaped to attack her, breaking her perch on the statue as she nimbly dodged their attacks before landing on the floor. "A wizard's greatest weakness is their body; they spend too much time on mental training which leaves them physically weak. We train our bodies every day and thereby have the advantage in speed and strength." Spike hair spoke faster than his compatriot the two of them landing lightly on the other end of the hall from Natshi. "Would you two stop your yammering and get serious, I'm getting bored over here." She called to them.

The one with the frying pan held it out for his compatriot to step into " _ **Combo Attack: Heaven and Earth Annihilation**_!" They yelled simultaneously. The frying pan wielder flung his partner up into the air before rushing to attack Natshi. "Look to the Heavens and we strike from the Earth!" as he slammed the frying pan into her, knocking her back. She quickly regained her balance but before she could move she was slammed into from above. "Look to the Earth and we will strike from the Heavens!" The merc who had been flung into the air yelled at her before standing behind his partner. "You have witnessed the full power of the Vanish Brothers, there are very few who can withstand such an attack." "Guess that makes me one of them." Natshi said as she got back up looking at the Vanish Brothers unbelieving expressions. A red magic circle formed in front of her mouth "I'm gonna blow you away! _**Fire Dragon's Roar!**_ " The intense flames spewed from the magic circle before but before they could reach their target they were sucked into the frying pan. "My frying pan absorbs Fire magic, and then dishes it out at double the strength!" A stream of flame enveloped Natshi hiding her from view. "Now she's nothing but a cooked Faerie" Spiked hair joked.

A slurping sound filled the air as Natshi consumed the flames causing the Vanish Brothers to cling tightly to one another in fear. "Alright, I'm all fired up!" Natshi yelled at them leaping towards them with her arms behind her head she summoned a magic circle before bringing her arms over her head to point in front of her. " _ **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack**_!" Two bright streams of flame struck the Vanish brothers the resulting explosion blowing out all of the windows on the first floor. "Hmmm, I think I went overboard again" She mused while surveying the damage.

Meanwhile in the mansion's underground water system Luke was using his 10x Gale Force reading glasses to read through " _Daybreak_ " at a rapid pace. "I knew it" He muttered to himself "This book does have a secret!" The wall behind him broke open as Duke Everlue reached out to grab his hands and trap them behind his back "Oh do tell, it's not right to keep secrets between friends." "Never!" Luke yelled at him "You don't deserve to know the secret this book contains."


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Hey guys whats up? I hope everyone in the US had a good Labor Day yesterday. For everyone else around the world, I hope your Monday was swell. Anyways this is chapter 4 guys, it is a bit shorter than my other chapters but I promise I will make it up to you guys in next weeks update. Speaking of updates, I want to let yall know that there was an Easter Egg in Chapter 3 that I left for yall. No one seemed to pick it up. So if anyone can PM me and tell me what the Easter Egg is and where it came from, they will win a prize! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, keep sending me those reviews and if you like what you read be sure to hit that Follow/Fave button. TexasSon out.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, just the OC. You all know who owns everything else.**

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Faerie Tail

Chapter 4 – "Dear Kaby"

Natshi Dragneel surveyed the devastation she had just created. Rubble covered the entire first floor of the Everlue Mansion; the two mercenaries that were sent to deal with her were lying unconscious near what was once a magnificent statue of Duke Everlue. Natshi wiped her hands on her pants "Well that takes care of that I guess, better go find Luke before he gets himself into trouble." Sniffing the air deeply she picked up a faint trace of Luke's scent and began to follow it, walking past the giant pink haired maid who was beginning to stir.

In the subtrerranean water system of the mansion Luke had his hands full, literally. Duke Everlue had trapped the young man's hands behind his back still firmly grasping ' _Daybreak_ '. He had just discovered the secret that was contained inside the previously unknown work of Kemu Zaleon before the Duke accosted him. "Oh do tell, it's not right to keep secrets between friends." "Never!" Luke yelled at him. "You don't deserve to know the secret this book contains." "And why not? I am a connoisseur of literature and culture. If there is anyone who deserves to know what is hidden in this book then it is certainly me!" the Duke demanded. "I bet there is a clue to where he buried some of his fortune, or a map to an ancient artifact. Tell me boy or I'll snap your arms!" Luke's response was less than elegant only serving to infuriate the Duke further. "I'll have you know that I commissioned this book from Zaleon before he died. So any secret it contains is mine!" Everlue yelled at Luke as he applied more pressure to his arms forcing them into a more awkward position.

Before the Duke could follow through on his threat to break Luke's arms a blue blur collided with the Duke's face knocking him back and freeing Luke. "Happy!" Luke yelled, ecstatic to see the flying cat "Awesome kick!" "Aye Sir!" Happy exclaimed as his wings disappeared dropping him lightly next to Luke. "What's this?! Since when do cats fly?!" the Duke spluttered quickly regaining his feet. Luke moved away to give himself some room before drawing Cancer's Key from his belt and brandishing it at the Duke. "It appears our positions have been reversed, if you surrender to me I will take the book and begone, though I should give you a good punch to the face for almost breaking my arms." The Duke sneered at Luke seemingly unfazed by the ultimatum. "Apparently you are stupid in addition to being ugly. You seem to be under the impression that I am at your mercy. There is no way that you and that flying furball can defeat my Diver Magic!" At this the Duke sank into another hole that appeared underneath him and vanished. "I didn't know he could use magic." Happy activated his wings again in the nick of time as the Duke sprung up beneath the duo attempting to snatch the book out of Luke's grasp. Luke evaded the Duke's attacks, jumping away from the grasping hands, before landing further down the passage. "I know the full story now; this book is a terrible adventure novel about a horrible main character named Duke Everlue."

"I wouldn't call the main character horrible, but the story itself is complete garbage. I would never have expected the great Kemu Zaleon to write such drivel!" The Duke attacked again forcing Luke to jump to the other side of the passage as the foundations where he had stood previously began to crumble and fall into the water. "I can't believe your arrogance; you forced him to write it against his will!" "Arrogance? That word is hardly appropriate, he should have been honored to pen my story, regardless of how I obtained his services." The voice echoed out from the walls, not giving a clear indication of where the Duke was. "So you claim that blackmail was a valid way to get him to write it, you disgust me!" Luke yelled at the walls around him. "I was completely reasonable, but the fool had the audacity to deny me. I simply gave him an ultimatum, write the novel or his family's citizenship would be revoked and he would be deported." "If his family didn't have citizenship then they wouldn't be able to make a living! How could you do that?" Happy chimed in dodging pieces of masonry that had begun to fall from the ceiling. "Because I can do anything I want, he wrote the book didn't he? My plan worked!" the Duke yelled knocking Luke off his feet as he surfaced underneath him.

"However I wasn't satisfied with the work, so I had him put in a prison cell so he could focus on the novel exclusively. He prattled on and on about being a standup author that wouldn't bow to threats, but I got what I wanted, just like I always do." The speed and intensity of the Duke's attacks increased forcing Happy and Luke to flee the collapsing tunnel. "He spent three years in solitary confinement, do you even care about what that does to a person?!" Luke yelled over his shoulder as he ran. The ground in front of Luke erupted as Duke Everlue once again made to grab the book only for Luke to jump back to a safe distance. "Perhaps it simply took him that long to appreciate my greatness" The Duke replied. "Wrong! He couldn't bear to feed your bloated ego but he had to put his family first, if he didn't make your character out to be the hero then you would follow through on your threat!" "And how, pray tell do you know all of this hmm?" Luke held up ' _Daybreak_ ' "It's all in here, every sordid detail." "Impossible, I've read that book from cover to cover, and there is nothing in there that even remotely comes close to your claim!" Luke scoffed at the Duke, "Obviously if there was a secret he wouldn't openly state it. But I know something you don't; Kemu Zaleon was a wizard in addition to an author. Using the last of his strength he cast a spell on the book after he finished it, that's why you never found out the truth!"

Duke Everlue shook in rage "What a dirty trick, turning what was meant to be a work of art into a smear job! The nerve!" Luke continued to dodge Duke Everlue's attacks "Oh stop your whining, the details of your crimes against him are only a fraction of the book. The true secret has nothing to do with you at all!" Luke mocked the Duke. "You aren't laying a hand on this book, it was never meant for you in the first place." Connecting to his magic the Zodiac Key in Luke's hand began to spin rapidly. " _ **Open, Gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer!**_ " Grabbing the spinning Key and swiping it downwards the Gate opened revealing a tall man with 6 crab legs sprouting from his back, a striped blue shirt with dark pants, and green sunglasses with a pair of long red scissors in each hand. Happy began to dance around excitedly lost in his own fantasies as the crab man turned to Luke. "What kind of cut are you thinking about today-ebi?" Cancer asked Luke. "I don't need a haircut; I need some help with that psycho over there!" Luke pointed at Duke Everlue who was watching with a curious expression on his face.

"A Celestial Spirit Wizard eh? How about a taste of your own medicine?" Pulling a gold key out of a pocket of his jacket Everlue mirrored Luke's action. " _ **Open, Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!**_ " The giant pink maid who had attacked them earlier sprung up from the ground in a flash of light. "You called Master?" Virgo asked as Luke stared in shocked disbelief. "Virgo fetch me that book…" Duke Everlue trailed off looking at Virgo in shock at Natshi who was perched on the shoulder of the Spirit Maid. "Natshi! What the hell are you doing up there?!" Luke yelled at the dragon slayer. "Well I was coming to look for you, but before I could leave she started glowing and getting up so I jumped on her trying to take her back down. Next thing I know I'm on top of her here." Natshi replied. "So you grabbed onto her in the house? That means you passed through the Celestial Spirit World with her, that shouldn't be possible!" Luke shook his head, his brain struggling to process the information. "Well what do I do now?" Natshi yelled down. "Uh how about you finish what you started?" Luke suggested. "Virgo dispose of these pests!" Everlue yelled at the Celestial Spirit as Natshi leaped off Virgo's shoulder.

A red magic circle formed in front of Natshi's mouth. " _ **Fire Dragon's Roar!**_ " As the torrent of flame sped towards Virgo, Luke used his whip to entangle Duke Everlue. "No more diving for you ugly mole man!" Pulling hard Luke used his whip to fling Duke Everlue into the air where Cancer used his scissors to slash repeatedly at the Duke before kicking him to the ground. "Turns out you were just a minor character" Luke quipped as Natshi's flames sent Virgo flying and Duke Everlue, now bald, lay unconscious on the ground. As more of the ceiling fell around them Happy, Natshi and Lucy made their escape dragging Duke Everlue behind them. Making it out into the safety of the open air Luke watched in horror as the mansion collapsed on itself, sinking into the ground. "I like your style Luke. You are definitely a member of Faerie Tail." Natshi threw her arm around Luke's shoulders laying her head against his arm. "But weren't we not supposed to destroy anything this time?" Happy asked the two. Luke could only nod, wondering how he was going to explain all this damage to Master Makarov and hoping he wouldn't be blamed.

After freshening themselves up Natshi, Luke and Happy returned to the home of their client Kaby Melon, Luke clutching ' _Daybreak_ ' tightly. As they were once again seated with the man and his wife Luke began his explanation of the events that had transpired. "When I read this book I couldn't believe that such a renowned author like Kemu Zaleon could have written it. The book is too far removed from his normal standards of literature. That was when I began to look deeper." Luke handed the book to Mr. Melon who wore a look of uncertainty as he hesitantly took the book. "I do not understand" he began "I ordered this book to be destroyed, why have you gone against my wishes? Furthermore why are you giving it to me?" "If you truly want to destroy this book then you should do so yourself." Luke replied cryptically. "I will do exactly that, I never wanted to see this book again." Melon said vehemently, his body shaking with emotion. "I understand why you want this book wiped from existence Kaby. You want to preserve your father's outstanding legacy of good and not have it tarnished by such a reprehensible farce. Your name is not Kaby Melon; its Kaby Zaleon isn't it?" "You are correct." Kaby replied.

Natshi and Happy were shocked; they had no idea that the client was really the son of the author. "Have you ever read ' _Daybreak_ '?" Luke asked softly "No, I never did. My father told me it was garbage so I had no desire to." "And you were just going to burn it without a second thought?!" Natshi moved to stand next to Luke looking at their client with an unreadable expression. "Yes" Natshi leaned down putting her face inches from Kaby's. "The last book your father ever wrote, the final piece of his legacy, and you were just going to destroy it? Some of us would kill for that kind of memory!" Natshi yelled at him before Luke wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her away. "Enough!" he yelled at both of them "Natshi, let him explain himself. I know this is hard because of Igneel but please let him explain."

Kaby lowered his head, when he spoke his voice was so soft it was almost as if he was whispering. "' _Daybreak_ ' has caused my family much heartache and shame. 31 years ago my father entered our home, after disappearing for 3 years. When I asked him where he had been and why we had not heard from him he only responded by saying he had been somewhere he had no intention of returning to. He applied a tourniquet to his right arm before stating that he was done with writing and would never do so again. Before I could stop him he took a cleaver and cut off his right hand. My father was taken to a hospital. I told him that he should never have taken the job to write that book from Duke Everlue, but he insisted that the money was too good to pass up. He was so happy he had finished that worthless trash, all I could see was that he had abandoned us to write a novel that he had no intention of publishing. I insulted him repeatedly, claiming that he had sold out and was correct in thinking that he was no longer fit to be a writer and that he was also no longer fir to be a father. That was the last time I spoke with him, he died soon after that conversation. My anger towards him and the feeling of betrayal continued to grow and fester within me. However as the years grew longer, my anger and pain have changed into regret and remorse, and I am far too late to ask for his forgiveness. So I resolved to eradicate the abomination that caused him such distress, it is the only way I can preserve his legacy. My final gift to my father, I am sure that this is what he would have wanted."

Luke shook his head as Kaby struck a match. "You are dead wrong." At Luke's words a purple magic circle sprung from the book engulfing it in light. "This book was the work of Kemu Zaleon or should I say Zekua Melon." The title and author of the book lifted off the cover before rearranging to read ' _Dear Kaby by Zekua Melon_ ' "This book is a letter to you, hidden with a spell that rearranged the words of the book so that no one else would be able to read it." Streams of letters erupted from the book spiraling in ribbons throughout the room. "He stopped writing not because of shame, but because he had finished his masterwork, a book containing everything that he ever wanted to say to his beloved son Kaby." The streams of letters returned to the book, the light fading as ' _Dear Kaby_ ' rested in the palms of its rightful owner who sank to his knees and clutched the book to his chest. "Now that the spell has been lifted you can read his letter to you for yourself, I hope that you treasure this book, it is priceless." Luke said with a small smile.

Natshi stretched her arms behind her head "Guess we won't be getting that reward." Luke looked at her in apprehension "We were supposed to destroy the book, no way were gonna do that now." "At least let me offer you something for your service, bringing this book back to me deserves some type of reward." Kaby offered. "Yeah, that would work; it's not our fault that it turned out to be a letter from his father that he doesn't want burned." Luke stammered at Natshi. "Are you always this greedy Luke?" Happy asked as Luke shot him a glare. Natshi began walking to the door "Thanks but we don't want it" "Have you forgotten my rent?!" Luke interjected "Besides I think it's time we went home. That means you too Mr. Melon, go back home." Natshi stated giving Kaby and his wife a look. "Huh?" Luke and Happy looked back and forth between Natshi and the stunned couple.

Later that evening Luke, Natshi, and Happy started out on the road back to Magnolia. "Who turns down a 2 million Jewel reward just like that?" Luke complained "If we had taken the money, it would have looked bad. You are a member of Faerie Tail now Luke, you have to keep the reputation of the guild in mind now too." Natshi replied. "And to top it all off they weren't even wealthy, they were just renting that mansion to impress us. Plus now we have to walk back because we used all our money to come here. Hey how did you know they didn't live there anyways?" Natshi shrugged "The house smelled too clean, not lived in. Plus I could smell different scents on them that weren't in the house at all, seemed pretty obvious to me." They made camp on a cliff overlooking the road, cooking fish from Happy's pack over a fire. As they were eating Natshi looked intently at Luke. "I figured it out you know." She stated. "Figured what out?" "That pile of papers that you were so keen to keep hidden from me. You're writing a novel." "So that's why he is such a bookworm" Happy said as Luke's face turned red from blushing. "P-p-p-promise you won't tell anyone, please?" He stuttered out. "Why not?" Happy asked. Luke buried his face in his hands, "Because I am a terrible writer and if anyone read it I would literally die of shame." Natshi sat down next to Luke and patted him on the arm "Don't worry Luke no one would read it anyways." Luke sneered at her "Not helping."

The next day they trekked through a swamp Happy claiming that his nose would lead them on the quickest path back to the guild, Natshi and Luke bickering the entire time. Luke was being carried inside Horologium, claiming fatigue due to sleeping with a rock pressing into his back. As they entered a clearing Natshi felt a presence watching them, dropping her bags she jumped into a cluster of bushes "Who's there?" She shouted the bushes rustling as she grappled with her opponent. "Does fighting always have to be your first option?" Horologium relayed Luke's words. Natshi leapt out of the bushes chased by none other than Grace Fullbuster clad in only her bra and panties. "It's Grace!" Happy yelled. "Why is she only in her underwear?" Horologium continued to relay Luke's words as Luke covered his eyes with his hands.

"I was looking for a bathroom!" Grace growled as she and Natshi took a fighting stance. "Why the hell did you strip before you found one?" Natshi growled back "And why would there be one in the middle of a forest?" "I wanted some privacy; I didn't expect an idiot to barge in!" The two wizards were now face to face, their aura's clashing as their magic strained to be released. "Why are those two so childish?" Luke asked himself.

Once the two finished exchanging insults and calmed down, they stopped for lunch, Happy fishing contentedly in a nearby river. "So you were on your way back from a job?" Luke asked a now fully clothed Grace. "Yeah, there is a shortcut through these woods, makes it a lot faster to get back to Magnolia." Grace replied a triumphal yell from Happy punctuating her statement. "If your nose is so great why didn't you smell Grace?" Luke asked sarcastically. "There are some things you don't want to smell." Happy replied haughtily. "What did you just say cat?!" Grace yelled at Happy. "I agree with Happy." Natshi stated, leaning back against a rock. "We'll smell ya later loser." "Fine I'll leave" Grace replied getting up and brushing herself off. "But if I were you, I wouldn't take my time getting back. Erza is due back to the guild anytime now." Natshi's eyes grew wide at the statement her mouth dropping open. "Wait you mean the Erza?" Luke asked Grace. "Yup, people claim that she is the strongest female wizard in Faerie Tail." Happy spoke through a fish in his mouth. "Wow, I can't wait to meet her. I've never seen a picture of her in Sorcerer Weekly or anything. What's she like?" "Scary." The three Faerie Tail wizards replied as one. "A wild animal?" Grace suggested "A vile beast?" Natshi chimed in "More like a full-fledged monster." Happy rounded out, the other two conceding that his answer was the closest to the truth.

"She can destroy a mountain with a single kick." Natshi told Luke "No, Erza could destroy three mountains with a single kick." Grace interjected "Stop exaggerating Grace, you know Erza can take out two mountains with one kick" Happy scolded Grace. "Whichever way you think about it, we should probably get moving" Luke told the other two as he rose to his feet. Before he could do anything else the ground around them exploded throwing up a huge cloud of dust and burying them in it. "Great what now?" Grace grumbled who was buried up to her arms. "Happy!" Natshi yelled with a mouthful of dirt. The three wizards looked around frantically but there was no sign of their blue companion.

"Help me!" Happy screamed. The little cat was tied to a spit suspended over a pile of logs surrounded by 5 wizards. Two wizards appeared to be twins wearing matching red coats, beige shirts, and blue pants. "Looks like we're having real protein tonight." One twin spoke to the group. "Yeah no more berries for us" The other spoke up. "Meat!" A giant chicken wearing a pair of overalls shouted. A wizard staring into a glowing crystal ball sat next to the chicken "Our future holds a feast." He spoke in a soft voice. "Look at it, it's shaking." One of the twins said, pointing to Happy who was indeed shaking uncontrollably on the spit. The last member of the group was a short gray-skinned creature wearing a green poncho, brown pants, with a patterned brown wrap and maroon gloves spoke up. "Relax; it won't be long until you're in our bellies, so you got no reason to be scared." "I'm not shaking because I'm scared. I'm shaking because I have to use the bathroom and I can't hold it in. I bet it will make me taste really weird if you eat me while I'm like this." Happy stammered out. "We don't care" the gray skinned creature told Happy "Now cook him!" The chicken hefted a staff, flames springing into existence on the end as he lowered it towards the pile of wood. "Wait, you guys are making a huge mistake. I'll give you food poisoning and a bunch of other bad things I know it!" Happy yelled eying the flames on the staff in fear. "Hold it right there!" Natshi's voiced made the chicken stop as the group looked up to see Natshi, Luke and Grace glaring down at them from a hill. "Thank the gods!" Happy yelled tears streaming down his face.

Natshi cracked her knuckles menacingly. "That's our friend you're planning on roasting there buddy! Let him go!" "You're all wizards obviously, what guild are you from?" Grace yelled at the group. "Get them!" The gray creature yelled ignoring Grace's question as his partners leapt at the trio. "Let's do this Grace!" Natshi yelled. "Yeah, yeah quit telling me what to do." Grace cracked her neck to loosen it before she and Natshi met the enemy wizards in midair, dodging their attacks. " _ **Sand Bomb!**_ " the gray skinned creature who was obviously the leader of the group yelled a ball of sand erupted out of the ground to surround Natshi. "Natshi!" Luke yelled concerned the pinkette would suffocate. "She's fine! Get Happy!" Grace yelled at him. Luke nodded then ran to the fire pit to free Happy from the spit. Grace battled the twins in midair knocking away their weapons as Luke struggled to undo the knots binding Happy.

Before he could finish he was attacked by the chicken but before the blow could land Grace kicked the beast away from them allowing Luke to free Happy. "Alright, who's next?" She asked darkly. The wizard holding the crystal ball stood in front of Grace. "You will see someone special to you soon, but the stars point to great trouble with men and water in your future." "Che. Just a stupid fortuneteller, really?" Grace elbowed the wizard in the face knocking him unconscious. "She's not even using magic" Luke thought to himself as he watched Grace singlehandedly take on the wizards. "Grace your clothes!" He yelled at her "Shit!" Grace looked down to see that she was once again in only her bra and panties. "What's with these guys" The enemy leader muttered as the ball of sand containing Natshi exploded. "You son of a bitch! Thanks to you I've got a mouth full of sand twice inside of half an hour, you're gonna pay for that. Do you know how terrible sand tastes?"

Using her flames to propel her she leaped towards the creature " _ **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**_ " The blow sent the leader flying through several trees before finally coming to a stop. Using the rope they found in one of the packs scattered nearby Luke and Grace secured the wizards to a tree, making sure they couldn't escape. "Don't ya think you went overboard on these small-timers Natshi?" Grace inquired. "At least I can get a job done while remaining fully clothed." Natshi replied. As the two began bickering and exchanging insults once again Luke knelt next to the leader of the group who had been muttering to himself "Lullaby" Luke managed to make out before a dark shadow sent him flying. A shadowy hand reached around the tree where the wizards were now screaming incoherently before yanking downwards and submerging them belowground. "What was that?" Luke managed to gasp out. "More like who was that?" Natshi asked standing from where she had landed a few feet away. "Whoever it was they're fast, I can't even sense their magic anymore" Grace spoke out. "Lullaby" Luke muttered to himself, "What does all this mean?"

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 _ **Hit the first small milestone of 10 Favorites with the Chapter 3 update. I want to give a huge thank you to: Godzilla327, GoldenPiggy, Kenncake01, MizoreShirayukiFan, Shadowwolf19997, Zarkos, ZeroZangetsu, fairypaige98, sora93232, and ultimatebishoujo21. Thank you all for the Fav, it is people like you that keep my spirits up and encourage me to keep creating content.**_


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